Tel Aviv/Prensa Latina
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under intense criticism for obstructing negotiations with Hamas, shortly after news broke of the recovery of six bodies of Israeli prisoners in Gaza.
This morning, authorities announced that the bodies unearthed yesterday in a tunnel in the coastal enclave are those of citizens captured by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) during its attack on October 7, 2023.
On August 20, the army recovered six more bodies in similar circumstances in the Gaza city of Khan Yunis.
Following the new announcement, families of those detained in Gaza called on Netanyahu to agree to an exchange with Hamas and accused him of prioritising his political agenda over national interests.
“They are playing politics. They are delaying time. They do not care whether the kidnapped are dead or alive,” said Ili David, brother of Avitar David, who is being held in the coastal enclave.
Meanwhile, the Israel Business Forum, which brings together 200 heads of national companies, announced that it was joining the protest in favour of a swap.
Former Defense Minister and opposition leader Benny Gantz, meanwhile, accused Netanyahu of trying to buy time for political reasons.
Gantz called on citizens to take to the streets to protest against the far-right government that rules the country.
Even Defense Minister Yoav Gallant distanced himself from the cabinet’s position by calling for a truce and an exchange of prisoners.
For months, Gallant has been engaged in constant public clashes with Netanyahu and far-right ministers such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The political and security cabinet must meet immediately and reverse the decision taken on Thursday, he said, referring to the refusal to withdraw from the Philadelphia Corridor in the Gaza Strip, one of the previously agreed conditions for reaching a ceasefire.
That axis is a strip of Palestinian land 100 meters wide and 14.5 kilometers long that runs parallel to the border between Egypt and Gaza, which Netanyahu wants to keep under control on the grounds of preventing the entry of weapons and military equipment to Hamas.
Palestinians, Cairo and the international community all reject the occupation of the area. Gallant said the decision to keep troops there threatens the lives of Israeli detainees in Gaza, who are waiting to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in that country.
According to the Ynet news portal, Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi supported Gallant’s position, as did the head of the Mossad (foreign intelligence service), David Barnea, who considered it necessary to withdraw in order to move forward with the exchange.
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