Israeli families slam Netanyahu, oppose partial captive return deal
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Families of Israeli captives in Gaza call for a full prisoner exchange deal amid anti-government protests.
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People take part in a protest demanding the immediate release of captives in Gaza, occupied Palestine, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. The poster reads Netanyahu's holocaust (AP)
Israelis took to the streets in protest against the Israeli government in Gaza on Saturday, calling for a halt to the war on Gaza and reaching a full prisoner exchange deal, according to Israeli media.
#WATCH | As part of their weekly protests on Saturdays, Israeli settlers, including captives' families, gathered at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, urging the Israeli occupation government to secure a deal to release all captives.#Palestine #Gaza pic.twitter.com/iQmjnhym83
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 7, 2025
Following a warning from Abu Obeida, Hamas’ military wing spokesperson, that Israeli captive Matan Tzaghauker’s life is in danger due to the Israeli army’s attempted rescue operation in a combat area, his mother said she could "no longer endure the nightmare," emphasizing that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is using the IOF to sustain the war and keep his government in power.
Addressing Netanyahu directly, she told the Israeli premier that her son's blood is on his hands if the Israeli army fails to bring him back from captivity in Gaza.
The Israeli news site Ynet quoted the father of captive Bar Kuperstein as demanding that Netanyahu agree to a full deal to bring back all the captives, while emphasizing that his son has been living in constant fear of Israeli bombardment in Gaza and without food or daylight for the past 610 days.
The father of captive Omar Neutra stated bluntly, "The truth must be told, we won't bring everyone home unless we agree to end the war," adding that the Israeli captives would not return if the fighting continued indefinitely.
Families of Israeli captives criticize exchange deal
Earlier, the families of the Israeli captives in Gaza scrutinized a proposed prisoner exchange deal, which would see the release of some of the Israelis held in the Strip, ahead of the weekly anti-government protests.
“Whoever dares to attempt partial deals will be going against the express will of the nation,” stated the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in a press release on Saturday, adding that “only a comprehensive deal to return our loved ones will bring about Israeli victory.”
Sources close to the negotiations say the proposed deal would begin with a 60-day ceasefire, potentially extendable to 70 days, starting with an initial exchange of 10 living hostages and 9 bodies in return for Palestinian prisoners during the first week.
55 captives, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IOF, are still held in the Gaza Strip. The remaining includes 20 captives who are believed to be alive, with two others still unaccounted for by the IOF.
Rallies across occupied Palestine
The Forum was set to hold dozens of smaller rallies in other locations, including al-Quds, Kiryat Gat, and the Shaar HaNegev Junction in the south, while a separate rally focused on the hostages but also featuring anti-government messaging was set to take place a block away outside the Begin Road entrance to the IOF Headquarters.
The rally would be reinforced by protesters from an earlier anti-government demonstration at Habima Square, where speakers, former Deputy Attorney General Dina Silber and Dani Elgarat, the brother of captive Itzhak Elgarat, were set to address the crowd.
“Instead of striving for a deal and bringing all our sons and daughters home, the Israeli government and its head are dealing only with the draft-dodging law,” those responsible for the Habima rally stated.
This news comes as "Israel" witnessed a political shake-up, as division over the Haredim conscription laws threatens Netanyahu's coalition, the Knesset, and potentially the Israeli government.
Haredim conscription sows chaos in govt. coalition
Politically, the crisis over drafting Haredi Jews continues to fuel tensions within the governing coalition, as Haredi parties persist in threatening to dissolve the Knesset and topple the government, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims of progress in ongoing negotiations with these factions.
Israeli state broadcaster KAN reported that Netanyahu met on Thursday with Haredi party representatives after Agudat Yisrael's Council of Torah Sages agreed to back an opposition-sponsored bill to dissolve parliament next week, putting Netanyahu's coalition at risk of collapse.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly contemplating the removal of Yuli Edelstein as head of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee following his unwavering opposition to the controversial bill seeking to maintain military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews.
