Israeli captives case broiling, resignations hit relevant forum hard

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
31 Oct 2023 08:26

The forum responsible for handling the file of Israeli captives in Gaza is witnessing the resignation of its top officials as a result of Netanyahu's undermining of the matter.

An Israeli settler holds a placard calling for a "prisoner deal" between the entity's government and the Resistance in Gaza as a top priority in "Tel Aviv", occupied Palestine, in October 2023 (AFP)

Israeli officials from the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum have submitted their resignations due to significant disagreements surrounding their cooperation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the issue of the captives held by the Resistance in Gaza since the outset of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

The publication highlights that one of the founders of the forum, David Zalmanovich, publicly announced his resignation after being accused of collaboration with Netanyahu's office.

Moreover, the former head of the captives' forum David Meidan, as well as former chief of the Shin Bet Yaakov Peri, have also followed suit by resigning from their roles in the negotiation team within the authority, citing similar reasons, the media outlet added.

Among the other contentious issues that have reportedly fueled divisions and disputes within the body are the criticisms directed at the political leadership. While Meidan criticized Netanyahu for declining to meet with the families of the captives within a broader forum, Zalmanovich has actively sought to maintain lines of communication with the Prime Minister.

Additionally, another significant challenge revolved around the formation of a team tasked with representing the families of the Israelis held by the Resistance during negotiations. Notably, the former head of Mossad, Yossi Cohen, has taken a lead role in managing communications and is currently engaged with "various parties in the Gulf countries," despite expectations that the negotiation team should primarily handle talks with Hamas, as per Haaretz.

Furthermore, it's important to note that none of the families associated with the captives have been involved in choosing the Israeli officials who have stepped in to represent Netanyahu during meetings with the Prime Minister's office.

This comes as the Israeli occupation army announced that the number of captives inside the Gaza Strip has risen to 240.

The Israeli army spokesman also pointed out that they had informed 315 families of Israeli army soldiers that their children had been killed.

Meanwhile, Israeli official Yaakov Nagal said “Israel paid a heavy price in the Shalit deal,” and the same scenario will apply to the current issue of 239 captives with the Palestinian Resistance following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

Israeli occupation soldier Gilad Shalit remained in captivity for more than five years, and in exchange for his release, a very large number of Palestinian prisoners were released.

Shalit was captured on June 25, 2006, when a group of Resistance factions launched a special operation on an Israeli post at the "Kerem Shalom" crossing.

After long negotiations, Shalit was released on October 18, 2011, in exchange for the release of 1,027 Palestinian and Arab prisoners, in the largest deal in the history of the Palestinian Resistance called the Loyalty to the Free. The deal saw the release of 1,047 prisoners in total as another 20 prisoners were released in exchange for a video published by the Resistance proving that Shalit was alive.

Yesterday, three Israeli captives sent a televised strongly-worded message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blaming him for the death of Israeli illegal settlers and highlighting his political, security, and military failure. They also demanded that they release the Resistance's prisoners in Israeli jails in exchange for their freedom.

A group of 3 Israeli captives sent a strongly-worded message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blaming him for the death of Israeli illegal settlers and highlighting his political, security, and military failure.#Palestine pic.twitter.com/CK9P0VUdUF
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 30, 2023

This came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the families of the captives on Saturday, vowing to "exercise and exhaust every possibility to bring them home," as they relayed to him that their "unequivocal demand [was] that military action takes into account the fate of the hostages and missing."

Earlier, relatives of some of the 229 Israeli captives in Gaza staged a protest and urgently appealed on Saturday for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Security Minister Yoav Gallant, and other members of the war cabinet.

The demonstrations come as media reports confirmed that discussions on the issue slowed down following the "expanded ground operation" announced by the Israeli occupation army on Friday evening.