'Public pressure' drives Netanyahu to 'approve deal': Israeli media
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Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth talks about the public and security pressures that prompted the Israeli occupation Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to agree to the temporary truce agreement in the Gaza Strip.
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Families and friends of about 240 captives held in the Gaza Strip call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring them home during a demonstration in "Tel Aviv", occupied Palestine, Tuesday, November 21, 2023. (AP)
"Public pressure" has prompted Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a prisoner exchange deal and temporary truce in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli journalist Nahum Barnea who writes for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
"A week ago", Barnea explained, Netanyahu had "rejected" the deal that was "on the table" today, however, he changed his mind a couple of days ago, thus indicating that "what prompted him to agree to what he had rejected was public pressure."
The report also noted that public pressure was not the only reason for his "fluctuations", adding that "the position of the army, the Shin Bet, and the Mossad," also played a significant role, likely referencing the losses "Israel" faced amid the difficulty of the confrontations with the Resistance.
Israeli children were seen singing a "Friendship Song" where they called for the annihilation of everyone in the #Gaza Strip.#PalestineGenocide #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/l8YaYwQ7Ki
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 22, 2023
Not a first for Netanyahu
Barnea highlighted that this was "not the first time in the war that Netanyahu changed his declared position," as at first, on October 7, the occupation had not placed the release of Israeli captives held in the Strip at the top of the war's objectives. Later, however, pressure forced Netanyahu to "budge" on the issue of captives.
On that note, Haaretz reported that while much can go wrong, vis-a-vis occupation interests, "there was no other option, except to approve the proposed deal."
As for Yedioth Ahronoth, Barnea held a similar opinion, saying "there was no other option but to agree to the proposed deal," given that allegedly in the occupation's government "no one in the leadership has the authority," to make a decision to further postpone the decision so that the IOF would advance another kilometer.
Read more: Gaza ceasefire deal does not include Lebanon: Israeli media
Prisoner exchange, truce implementation delayed to Friday
The previously announced date for the temporary pause on Gaza has been delayed from Thursday to Friday "at least," Israeli Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi said on Wednesday evening.
In an interview with Channel 13, Hanegbi said that some last-minute technicalities disrupted the agreement's timeline, but added that they are minor issues that are being resolved.
This news comes amid severe uncertainty among the captives' families, who, as per Israeli media, were not notified of the changes and only found out through news outlets.
However, according to Channel 12, a critical factor in finalizing a prisoner exchange deal is the lack of agreement on the mechanics of the exchange, such as actions that are allowed or disallowed during the truce.
