NAZARETH, (PIC)
Families of Israeli prisoners have accused their Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of prisoners. They called for acceptance of Hamas’s offer to conduct an exchange that includes all remaining prisoners at once.
The Families of Prisoners Forum said in a message read during a protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening that “Netanyahu is hindering the exchange deal to appease his coalition partners at the expense of the captives.”
They added that “our government, detached from reality, is working against the will of the people and is threatening a return to war instead of concluding a comprehensive deal,” emphasizing that “Netanyahu must return all prisoners without delay and without installments.”
The Families of Prisoners Forum said that “Hamas is ready to return the prisoners all at once in exchange for ending the war, and Israel must agree,” pointing out that “63 prisoners are still in the hell of the Gaza Strip on the 505th day.”
On January 19, a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel entered into effect in its first phase, which lasts six weeks, following a devastating war against the Gaza Strip that lasted over 15 months and resulted in the death and injury of more than 160,000 individuals, mostly children and women, along with destruction unprecedented since World War II.
The families of Israeli prisoners appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump for intervention to complete the stages of the deal, addressing him by saying: “We know there are those trying to convince you of the necessity to destroy Hamas’s rule, but that means a death sentence for the prisoners.”
They added that “our government is obstructing the transition to the second phase, and we ask you to pressure them to return the prisoners at once.”
The families expressed their astonishment at the behavior of the Israeli Prime Minister, saying: “How is it possible that President Trump and his envoy are committed to returning the captives more than Netanyahu?”
The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz reported that demonstrations are scheduled in several cities this evening, particularly in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Beersheba, and Kiryat Gat, to demand the completion of the deal’s stages.
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu’s government delayed the release of the seventh batch of Palestinian prisoners under the first phase of the agreement, after the Palestinian resistance released six Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli broadcasting authority quoted sources as saying that the release of the Palestinian prisoners was postponed until a security meeting chaired by Netanyahu takes place.
For its part, Hamas announced that the resistance released six Israeli prisoners on Saturday as agreed upon, stating that this confirms its commitment to the agreement while Israel continues to procrastinate in its implementation.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said that negotiations for the second phase have not yet begun, and communications with mediators are ongoing.
The Movement reiterated its readiness to complete a full exchange process in one package based on a final cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of the occupation, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, while stressing that ensuring the completion of future exchange operations depends on the Israeli occupation’s commitment to the remaining terms of the agreement and the implementation of the humanitarian protocol.
