As Protests Continue, Netanyahu Begs For "Forgiveness" Over The Hostage Murders.
As additional hostages could be “returned to their families in shrouds” if a truce isn’t achieved, Hamas threatened to release six more hostages on Saturday. Benjamin Netanyahu has begged for “forgiveness” from Israelis for not releasing these hostages.
His remarks coincided with the start of another night of fierce street demonstrations in Israel about his conduct of the negotiations.
International pressure also increased when the UK halted some arms deliveries to Israel, expressing concerns that the equipment would be misused to break international law.
However, Israel’s prime minister adopted a firm stance, demanding that its forces remain in charge of Gaza’s strategically vital Philadelphia Corridor, a bone of contention in talks with Hamas.requests “forgiveness” for the captive murders while the protests go on
In new demonstrations organized by the relatives of the hostages, thousands of Israelis flocked to the streets on Monday to voice their dissatisfaction at Mr. Netanyahu’s inability to free their loved ones after nearly 11 months.
According to The Times of Israel, at one demonstration outside the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem, police used a great deal of roughness, pushing, throwing, and dragging demonstrators.
A Times of Israel reporter was choked by one police officer, the publication reported.
The most recent protests follow hundreds of thousands of people who staged protests around the nation on Sunday, during which some protesters blocked a key Tel Aviv freeway. Many wore
Israeli flags and strung yellow ribbons from a bridge that overlooked the Ayalon Highway as a show of support for the hostages.
After being taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 of last year, 97 captives are still missing.
In addition to stating that militants tasked with defending hostages have been given “new instructions” to follow in the event that Israeli troops approach them, Hamas claimed on Monday that hostages will be returned “inside coffins” if military pressure from Israel persists.
“Instead of concluding a deal, Netanyahu insists on using military force to free inmates, which means they will be brought to their families in shrouds. A representative for the group stated,
“Their families must decide whether they want them dead or alive,” without going into detail about the specifics of the new directives.
The largest labor union in Israel announced earlier on Monday that hundreds of thousands of people had joined a nationwide strike intended to put pressure on the government to reach an agreement with Hamas on a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages.
Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv reported minimal interruption in spite of this, and a large number of eateries and hotel services continued to run normally. Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right
Finance Minister bragged that Israelis had demonstrated their independence from “political needs” by going to work “in droves.”
A new plan that would be given to the Israeli prime minister as “final” was reported to have been made. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden claimed that Mr. Netanyahu was not going far enough in securing a truce and hostage agreement with Hamas.
Many argue that Mr. Netanyahu is obstructing a deal in order to put his own political survival first—a charge he denies.
In order to undermine Mr. Netanyahu’s chances of remaining in office, his far-right backers have threatened to leave the coalition government if he accepts a solution that requires a long-term truce before Hamas is destroyed.
Mediators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar are attempting to mediate a cease-fire agreement that would see Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons exchanged for the 97 hostages that Hamas is currently holding, 33 of whom are thought to be dead.
A “clear risk” that the equipment could be used to conduct grave breaches of international law led to the suspension of 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel, the UK announced on Monday, according to Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Parts for drones, helicopters, and fighter jets are among the equipment that is impacted.
According to Mr. Lammy, the UK is still in favor of Israel’s right to self-defense and this does not equate to an arms embargo.
The move has “deeply disheartened” Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who posted on X, and the Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who said it sent a “very problematic message” to Hamas and Iran.
Funeral ceremonies have been performed in the interim for a few of the captives who were slain on Saturday.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s mother, who spoke at his burial and revealed that she had been in “such torment and worry” about her son for months, was one of the captives whose body was recovered by Israel on Saturday.
Being her son’s mother, according to Rachel Goldberg-Polin, has been a “stunning honour”. Hersh texted his family two times around the time of his kidnapping, saying, “I love you guys” and “I’m sorry.”
At the funeral, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog addressed the family while mourners filled the streets of Jerusalem.
In reaction to the extraordinary onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and the kidnapping of 251 persons, the Israeli military began a campaign in Gaza to eliminate Hamas.
Since then, the health ministry in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas, has reported over 40,000 deaths in the region.
