Extremist group demands Israel to agree to ceasefire; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, says those who kill hostages do not want to negotiate
Hamas has ordered its guards to kill Israeli hostages as the Israeli army advances into the Gaza Strip. In a statement issued on Monday (September 2, 2024), the extremist group made the release of the people conditional on a ceasefire agreement. And if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on military pressure, “will mean their return to their families in coffins”.
“We tell everyone clearly that new instructions have been issued to the fighters guarding the prisoners on how to deal with them if the occupying army approaches the place where they are being held. Netanyahu’s insistence on releasing the prisoners through military pressure, rather than reaching an agreement, will mean that they will be returned to their families in coffins, and their families will have to choose between dead or alive.,” said Abu Obaida, spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing.
On Sunday (September 1), the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages from a tunnel in the southern Palestinian enclave town of Rafah. According to Israel, they had been held since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and capturing hundreds.
Obaida said the order was given to the guards in June after the rescue of four Israeli hostages in Nuseirat, in central Gaza. An Israeli raid at the time killed 270 Palestinians. A refugee camp is located in the area.
According to the Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson, the deaths are Netanyahu’s responsibility, who, in fact, “killed dozens of them [reféns israelenses] by means of direct aerial bombardments”.
More than 500,000 people took to the streets of Israel on Sunday (September 1) to protest the hostage killings. Crowds rallied in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities, demanding that the prime minister conclude a ceasefire agreement with Hamas and bring back the 101 Israeli prisoners still held by the extremist group in Gaza. In 11 months of war, it is considered the largest demonstration to date.
On Sunday (September 1), however, Netanyahu said that ““Whoever kills hostages doesn’t want a deal”. According to the prime minister, Israel has been trying to “intensely” move forward with negotiations, but the extremist group continues to reject all proposals.
In addition to internal pressure, Israel has been under pressure from the international community. On Monday (2 September), when asked by a journalist whether Netanyahu was doing enough to secure a hostage release agreement, US President Joe Biden responded: “No”. One of the bodies recovered on Sunday (September 1) was that of American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
A round of negotiations for a truce with hostage exchange has been underway since mid-August, but there are still significant obstacles between the parties.
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