Captives' families accuse Ben Gvir of obstructing prisoner exchange
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The families of Israeli captives held in Gaza have responded to Ben Gvir's remarks supporting the prolongation of the war, accusing him of endangering the lives of the captives.
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Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir talks to reporters ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 19, 2023. (AP)
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum responded to Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's remarks made at the Al-Aqsa mosque courtyards, saying he was, once again, obstructing a prisoner exchange deal.
A statement released by the forum stated that "the actions and words of Ben Gvir are exposing the Israeli hostages to danger, and ruining the chances of bringing them all home."
The forum further affirmed that the abandonment of the Israeli captives began on October 7 and has not ceased since, adding that "Israel will not possess any pride, resilience, or victory, until the last hostage is returned from the Gaza Strip, and anything that says otherwise is only empty words and the continuation of the abandonment of the hostages."
Earlier this morning, Ben Gvir said "Israel" must "triumph" in its war on Gaza and refused to attend summits and negotiations in Doha and Cairo for the return of Israeli captives.
He added that "Israel must defeat Gaza".
In turn, Knesset member and opposition leader Benny Gantz urged Netanyahu to seize Ben Gvir's authority instead of merely condemning his actions and statements.
Two days ago, Haaretz considered the emergency summit that will be held on Thursday to be Netanyahu's final call to lead a prisoner exchange deal, establish a ceasefire agreement, and mitigate the risk of a regional war.
Hamas calls for implementing July agreement instead of new talks
On the other hand, Hamas called on the mediators in Qatar and Egypt to present a plan for implementing the ceasefire agreement the movement approved on July 2 and compel "Israel" to comply with it instead of engaging in new rounds of negotiations.
In response to the trilateral [US, Egypt, Qatar] statement, Hamas affirmed on Saturday that since the onset of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, it has been committed to supporting the mediation efforts led by Egypt and Qatar to secure a ceasefire and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people and has consistently backed any initiative that aims to halt the aggression.
It confirmed that it has engaged in numerous negotiation rounds and demonstrated all necessary flexibility and positivity to achieve the goals and interests of the Palestinian people, halt the bloodshed, and end the genocide.
According to the statement, these efforts were intended to pave the way for a prisoner exchange, provide much-needed relief to the Palestinian people, facilitate the return of displaced persons, and rebuild the destruction caused by the aggression on the Gaza Strip.
However, Hamas pointed out that the Israeli occupation met this approach with rejection, continuing its massacres against the Palestinian people and reiterating its stance that it was not serious about a permanent ceasefire, with its aggressive actions standing as clear evidence of this.
