Demonstration - Tens of thousands in Israel demand hostage deal and ceasefire
Nine months after the Hamas Islamic movement's massacre, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under increasing pressure in his country. At nationwide protests on Saturday evening, tens of thousands of people demanded that the indirect negotiations for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip finally lead to success. "Make a deal now!", they chanted in Tel Aviv. The Hamas and other terrorist groups had attacked Israel on October 7 – exactly nine months ago – killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 more.
At the start of a protest day planned by activist groups, activists gathered near the border with the Gaza Strip in the morning to launch black and yellow balloons into the sky, reported "The Times of Israel." The color yellow symbolizes the fate of the hostages. The balloons were attached to signs representing the communities that were attacked on October 7. According to Israeli estimates, around 120 hostages are still in the hands of kidnappers, many of whom may no longer be alive.
New Hope
The protests were fueled by reports of progress in the negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. They are expected to continue next week, according to Israeli sources. "For the first time in many long months, we have hope again," said a demonstrator, whose son was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip during the terror attack nine months ago. "This is a chance we cannot miss!" she cried to the newspaper "Haaretz."
Addressing Netanyahu, the mother said, "Netanyahu, we have seen how you have torpedoed the agreements in the moment of truth and torn our hearts to pieces every time." She implored the Minister-President not to break our hearts again. Netanyahu governs with ultra-religious and right-wing coalition partners who reject concessions to Hamas and with whom he must compromise.
On the table lies a roadmap that initially provides for a time-limited ceasefire and the exchange of female, older, and sick hostages for a larger number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. During the ceasefire, the parties are to negotiate the termination of the war and the release of the remaining hostages. So far, Hamas has demanded that Israel commit to ending all hostilities before negotiations begin. According to media reports, Hamas has withdrawn this core demand.
Hamas Demands Guarantees
However, the Islamists also insist on a written commitment from the mediators that the negotiation phase – and thus the time-limited ceasefire – will continue indefinitely if no agreement is reached within the specified time frame. This demand of Hamas is a decisive point before the mediators can take their seats to negotiate the details of the agreement, reported the US news portal "Axios" based on two Israeli officials.
Report: Palestinians hope for Marwan Barghouti in Israeli prison
It is uncertain what will happen after the end of the war in Gaza. According to a report in the "Wall Street Journal," many Palestinians are hoping for Marwan Barghouti, a politician in Israeli prison. He is a member of the Palestinian party Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Autonomy Authority (PA) ruling in the West Bank, and was an advisor to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Fatah and Hamas are the two largest Palestinian organizations and bitter rivals. However, there have been reconciliation talks between the two organizations for some time.
Barghuti was sentenced to five life terms in Israel in 2004 for murder. For his supporters, Barghuti is a freedom fighter like Nelson Mandela, as reported by the "Wall Street Journal." His popularity among Palestinians is based on his image as a promoter of violence against Israel, but also as a pragmatist seeking a permanent peace agreement. The significance of Barghuti is shown in the Hamas' demand to release him as part of a prisoner exchange for Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, according to the newspaper, citing Arab intermediaries.
The US wants the Autonomy Authority in Gaza
In 2007, Hamas seized control of the Gazan Strip by force and expelled Fatah from the area. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Autonomy Authority PA and Chairman of Fatah, has been governing de facto only in the West Bank since then. The US, as Israel's main ally, wants the Autonomy Authority to be restructured and to regain control in the Gaza Strip in the future. Netanyahu opposes this.
Barghuti is the only Palestinian leader who enjoys broad support in Gaza as well as in the West Bank, unlike the weakened Hamas and the PA, as reported by the "Wall Street Journal." This is also shown in a recent Palestinian opinion poll in the West Bank.
Some in Israel also see Barghuti, despite his past, as a potential key to peace, according to further reports. "If we are really looking for a solution, we should keep an eye on him," quoted the US newspaper a former director of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad. Israel's consistent refusal to release Barghuti from prison shows, however, how far both sides are from an agreement, wrote the newspaper.
The dying in Gaza continues [
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Meanwhile, the fighting in Gaza goes on for now. According to Palestinian reports, 16 people were killed in an air raid on a refugee camp in the middle sector of the restricted area. It was an old UNRWA school, they said. The Israeli military stated that several Hamas fighters had been attacked in the area of the UNRWA school. The object had served as a hideout and operational base for attacks against the Israeli military, they added. Steps were taken before the attack to minimize the risk for civilians. The statements of both sides could not be verified independently.
See above in the video: A video of Mujahid Abadi, bound on an Israeli military jeep, went around the world. Now Abadi speaks in the hospital about the moment he was tied to the vehicle.
- The USA, along with Egypt and Qatar, is mediating the negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.
- Protestors in Tel Aviv demanded an immediate deal during a demonstration, referencing the massacre by Hamas and other terrorist groups nine months prior that resulted in 1,200 deaths and 250 kidnappings.
- The mother of a hostage captured during the terror attack called out to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing frustration over his handling of previous agreements and urging him not to break their hearts again.
- Palestinians in the West Bank are hoping for the release of Marwan Barghouti, a popular Palestinian politician serving multiple life sentences in Israeli prison.
- Barghouti, a former advisor to Yasser Arafat, is seen as a potential key to peace and has been demanded for release by Hamas as part of a prisoner exchange.
- The US, as Israel's main ally, has expressed a desire for the Palestinian Autonomy Authority (PA) to regain control over the Gaza Strip, which has been controlled by Hamas since 2007.
- Barghouti enjoys broad support among Palestinians, making him an appealing figure for both Gaza and the West Bank, according to recent polls and experts.
- The WSJ reports that Israel's consistent refusal to release Barghouti highlights the ongoing division between the two sides and the distance from an agreement.
- Hamas has withdrawn its demand that Israel commit to ending all hostilities before negotiations begin, but it still insists on guarantees from the mediators to extend the ceasefire if no agreement is reached.
- The fighting in Gaza continues, with 16 deaths reported in an Israeli air raid on a refugee camp, which was allegedly used by Hamas fighters as a hideout and operational base.
