Politics Tens of thousands demand hostage deal in Israel

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under increasing pressure nine months after the massacre by Islamist Hamas in his country. At nationwide protest rallies, tens of thousands of people demanded that the indirect negotiations on the release of the hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which have been restarted, finally succeed. "Agreement now!" chanted demonstrators in Tel Aviv, as a reporter from the German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

New hope

According to the media, there were clashes with the police and arrests on the sidelines. The protests were fueled by reports that progress had been made in the negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the USA after a long standstill. "For the first time in many long months, we have hope," said one demonstrator whose son was abducted to Gaza during the Hamas terror raid on October 7, 2023. "This is an opportunity that we must not miss!" she shouted, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

Addressing Israel's head of government, the mother said: "Netanyahu, we have seen how you have repeatedly torpedoed the agreements at the moment of truth and torn our hearts to shreds every time". She urgently pleaded with the Prime Minister: "Don't you dare break our hearts again!". Netanyahu governs together with ultra-religious and far-right coalition partners who refuse to make concessions to Hamas and whom Netanyahu must take into consideration.

A step-by-step plan is on the table, which initially provides for a temporary ceasefire and the exchange of female, elderly and sick hostages for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. During the ceasefire, the sides are to negotiate an end to the war and the release of the remaining hostages. Until now, Hamas has made it a condition that Israel commits to ending all hostilities in advance. According to the media, it is said to have backed away from this core demand.

Hamas wants guarantees

At the same time, however, the Islamists would insist on a written commitment from the mediators that the negotiation phase - and thus the temporary ceasefire - will continue without time limit if no agreement is reached within the specified period. This demand by Hamas is a crucial point before the mediators can sit down at the table to negotiate the details of an agreement, reported the US news portal "Axios", citing two Israeli officials.

Nine months ago to the day, Hamas and other terrorist groups attacked southern Israel, murdering 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage in the Gaza Strip. The unprecedented massacre triggered the Gaza war. According to Israeli estimates, around 120 hostages are still being held by their kidnappers, but many of them are probably no longer alive. According to the office of the Israeli Prime Minister, the indirect negotiations are to continue next week.

A video featuring a former hostage was shown on a large screen at the rally in Tel Aviv. In it, 22-year-old Almog Meir Jan, who was freed by Israel's military a month ago, says: "We need a deal so that all mothers can hug their children and husbands, just as I now hug my mother every morning." The fact that Hamas is now apparently showing more flexibility gives many people hope. According to the office of Israel's head of government, however, there are still points of contention between the two sides.

Report: Palestinians hope for imprisoned Barguti

The question of what will happen to Gaza after the end of the war is also uncertain. According to a report in the "Wall Street Journal", many Palestinians are pinning their hopes on the politician Marwan Barguti, who is imprisoned in Israel. He is a member of the Palestinian party Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA) that governs 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, reconciliation talks have been taking place between the two organizations for several years.

Barguti was sentenced to five life sentences for murder in Israel in 2004. For his supporters, Barguti is a freedom fighter like Nelson Mandela, according to the Wall Street Journal. His popularity among Palestinians is based on his image as an advocate of violence against Israel, but also as a pragmatist who strives for a lasting peace agreement. Barguti's importance is reflected in the demand by rival Hamas to release him as part of an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, the newspaper reported, citing Arab mediators.

The USA wants an autonomous authority in Gaza

In 2007, Hamas seized sole control of the Gaza Strip by force and expelled Fatah from the area. Since then, Mahmoud Abbas, President of the PA and Chairman of Fatah, has de facto ruled only in the West Bank. As Israel's most important ally, the USA wants the PA to be restructured and to take back control of the Gaza Strip in future. However, Netanyahu rejects this.

Barguti is the only Palestinian leader who enjoys broad support in Gaza as well as in the West Bank, in contrast to the decimated Hamas and the PA, according to the Wall Street Journal. This was also shown by a recent Palestinian poll in the West Bank.

Despite his past, some in Israel also see Barguti as a possible key to peace, it continued. "If we are really looking for a solution, we should look for him," the US newspaper quoted a former director of the Israeli secret service Mossad as saying. However, Israel's consistent refusal to release Barguti from prison shows how far both sides are from reaching an agreement, the newspaper wrote.

The dying in Gaza continues

Meanwhile, the fighting in Gaza continues for the time being. According to Palestinian reports, 16 people were killed in an airstrike on a refugee shelter in the central section of the sealed-off area. It was a former school of the UN refugee relief organization UNRWA, according to reports. The Israeli military announced that it had attacked several Hamas fighters in the area of the UNRWA school. The building had served the terrorists as a hiding place and base of operations for attacks on the Israeli military. In the run-up to the attack, steps had been taken to minimize the risk to civilians. The claims of both sides could not be independently verified.

SDA