Negotiations over the release of the Hamas hostages have been going on for months – so far without success. Critics repeatedly accused Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu of torpedoing a deal. Now he has made an offer.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised a bounty of five million US dollars (around 4.7 million euros) for every Israeli hostage released from the Gaza Strip. “Anyone who brings a hostage back to us will find with us a safe way out of the Gaza Strip for him and his family,” Netanyahu said in a video filmed in the Gaza Strip. “We will also pay a reward of five million dollars for each hostage,” he added.
The video was filmed in the Israeli army-controlled Netzarim Corridor in the north of the Gaza Strip. In the footage, Netanyahu wears a helmet and a bulletproof vest and is accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz. “We are also making efforts to locate the hostages and bring them back,” Netanyahu continued. “We will keep doing this until we find them all – the living and the dead.”
According to Israeli information, more than 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage in the massacre by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups in Israel on October 7, 2023. Around a hundred of them are said to still be in the Gaza Strip. However, it is unclear how many are still alive.
Demonstrations for agreements
In Tel Aviv over the weekend, demonstrators again called on the government to conclude an agreement to release the hostages. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in recent months, brokered by the USA, Qatar and Egypt, have so far produced no results.
Critics accuse Netanyahu’s government of unnecessarily prolonging the Gaza war and thereby preventing the hostages from being released. The head of government relies on right-wing extremist and ultra-religious partners in his coalition who reject any deal with Hamas. Critics say that Netanyahu, in turn, wants to avoid the collapse of the coalition and his own fall from government power because he is threatened with prosecution for alleged corruption.
How are public protests influencing the Israeli government’s approach to the hostage situation with Hamas?
1. What is the current status of negotiations for the release of the Hamas hostages?
2. Why have there been accusations that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has been blocking efforts to reach an agreement with Hamas?
3. What motivations might Netanyahu have for wanting to delay the release of the hostages?
4. How have these ongoing tensions impacted the lives of those living in the Gaza Strip?
5. What measures has Israel taken to locate and potentially repatriate any remaining hostages?
6. How have protests in Tel Aviv called for the Israeli government to reach an agreement with Hamas regarding the release of hostages?
7. What role, if any, do you believe foreign governments should play in facilitating negotiations between Israel and Hamas?
8. In your opinion, how could both sides benefit from reaching a peace agreement and what specific steps could be taken to improve relations?
