Relatives of the hostages broke into a meeting in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) this Monday to protest the more than one hundred days of captivity of their loved ones at the hands of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and to demand an immediate settlement.
“All other matters can wait. But the hostages don't have any more time,” The Forum of Relatives of Hostages and Disappeared Persons explained in a statement, justifying the protest after they sent a letter to the Knesset Secretariat the day before. “imploring them not to deal with anything that is not related to the return of the hostages.”
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When they did not receive a response, some relatives broke the security cordon and entered a meeting of the finance cabinet, according to local media reports.
On Sunday, These same relatives camped in front of the residence of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, where new protests are expected this Monday, which are preceded by massive demonstrations in several cities in the country.
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🚨The Hebrew-language newspaper “Israel Hum” announced that a number of families of Israeli prisoners in Gaza stormed the Knesset Finance Committee meeting and demanded the immediate signing of a prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas to return their children from Gaza. pic.twitter.com/DB6gyomLSY— Engr. Ijaz Afridi (@Ijaz__Afridi) January 22, 2024
The prime minister met this Monday with some of the relatives, whom he assured that there is “no real proposal from Hamas,” according to a statement from his office, after it came to light on Sunday that Qatar and Egypt are trying to promote new negotiations that would contemplate a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, in exchange for the release of all hostages in 90 days.
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The 90-day plan proposed a lasting ceasefire during which Hamas would release all civilian hostages, while Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, withdraw from Gazan cities, allow freedom of movement in the enclave, cease the use of drones and double the amount of aid it allows to enter.
In a second phase, Hamas would release female soldiers and the bodies of captives and Israel would release more prisoners, while in the third phase Israel would withdraw its troops to the Gaza border and the Islamist group would finish releasing all the hostage soldiers and men of fighting age.
Rally organized by relatives and sympathizers of the Israeli hostages.
Netanyahu “flatly” rejected this plan proposed by Qatar and Egypt, understanding that it implies Israel's “surrender” to “the monsters of Hamas”, something that bothered the families.
In this Monday's meeting with family members, on the contrary, The Israeli Prime Minister claimed to have “a proposal” for the release of the hostages. “We have a proposal, I can't give more details,” he added.
The brutal attack by Islamists left more than 1,200 dead and some 240 kidnapped, of whom 105 were freed in a first and only truce with Hamas in November, in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners.
An estimated 136 people are still being held, but at least 27 of them are already dead, according to Israeli intelligence.
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Netanyahu also met this Monday with the French Defense Minister, Sébastien LeCornu, in Jerusalem, whom he thanked for the agreement, mediated by his country and Qatar, for the delivery last week of medicines intended for civilians and hostages in the Strip. although he demanded evidence that the medicines have reached the captives.
In addition, the Israeli dignitary recalled the need to keep the pro-Iranian Shiite militia Hezbollah away from the northern border, after weeks of intense crossfire between them and Israeli troops deployed in the border area, which could trigger a regional conflict.
EFE
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