Netanyahu protesters: what is known about the strike due to the delay of the agreement with Hamas

The confrontation in Israel is intensifying: on the 332nd day of the war, the country was covered by a general strike organized by the most influential trade union, Histradut, demanding an urgent agreement with Hamas to release the hostages. Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu declares, that the strike is direct support for the enemy, while the Histadrut accuses it of being detached from reality. This conflict reflects deep differences in views on how the country should respond to internal challenges in the face of an external threat.

The largest strike since the beginning of the war

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Israel, expressing their anger at the government’s failure to secure a ceasefire deal with Hamas in exchange for hostages. Demonstrations took place in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Caesarea and other places throughout the country. People are outraged by the killing of six hostages in Gaza, whose bodies were found by Israeli soldiers this weekend. Several protests took place directly near the homes of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where protesters lit bonfires and chanted: “You are the leader – you are guilty!” The accusations by the Israeli leader capped a day of anger that paralyzed much of the country, after the Histadrut – the country’s largest trade union – called for a shutdown of the entire economy. Even flights at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv were suspended.

Despite the protest mood and demands on Netanyahu, his position remains steadfast. The Israeli leader apologized to the relatives of the dead hostages, but did not change his views during the negotiations. Even before the bodies of the murdered were discovered, the negotiations actually reached an impasse. The stumbling block was control over the border area known as the Philadelphia Corridor. Benjamin Netanyahu insists on the need for controls to prevent smuggling of weapons to Hamas, while Hamas demands the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area.

“If the IDF were to go even into the 42-day first phase of the deal, trying to secure the release of the many hostages alive, it would never be able to return, and thus Hamas would be able to rearm, re-emerge, and repeat October 7.” stated yesterday the Israeli leader during a press conference.

What preceded the strike?

During a cabinet meeting, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant criticized the Israeli government for putting control of the corridor ahead of a deal to release the hostages. This is a “moral shame”, noted Galant.

A relative of one of those shot in Gaza also blamed Netanyahu for the death of the hostages. Gil Diekmann, Carmel Gat’s cousin, said the Israeli government “cold-bloodedly” crossed a “red line” by putting the corridor above the lives of the hostages. Just as Hamas agreed to the deal, Israel began imposing new conditions that made it impossible to return the hostages and effectively killed them.

Many accused Benjamin Netanyahu of blocking the deal due to political ambitions. The Israeli leader seeks political survival. His far-right allies are known to threaten to pull out of the coalition government if he agrees to a ceasefire deal, undermining Netanyahu’s chances of staying in power.

Conflict mediation attempts

The US, Egypt and Qatar are working as mediators to broker a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The main goal is to free the 97 hostages still held by Hamas. Among them, 33 people are considered dead. In exchange for this, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons can be handed over to Hamas. When reporters in Washington asked US President Joe Biden if he thought Netanyahu was doing enough to secure the deal, Biden said, “No.” About this the BBC reports.

It is known that Biden met with American mediators, who, according to him, are close to presenting a final offer to both sides of the conflict – Israel and Hamas. This proposal is described by the American media as a possible final plan of the agreement. So, the complexity of the situation is that the three countries are actively trying to find a solution to end the conflict, but there are doubts that all parties, in particular Israel, are ready for a compromise.

It is also known that Israel has turned to Russia for help in facilitating a deal to release the hostages, citing that efforts led by the US, Qatar and Egypt to secure a ceasefire with Hamas are moving too slowly. About this reports Bloomberg citing the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the statement, Defense Secretary Benjamin Netanyahu returned Sunday morning from Moscow, where he discussed the hostage issue. The Kremlin, in particular, has been in contact with Hamas regarding the fate of hostages who have Russian citizenship.

Hersh is a symbol of the struggle for hostages

Before releasing the full list of names, US President Joe Biden said the body of Israeli-American hostage Goldberg-Paulin was among six found by Israeli forces in Gaza this Saturday. The 23-year-old was among the hostages taken during the militant attack on Israel. Hersh, who immigrated to Israel from California at the age of 7, was at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on October 7. He was celebrating his birthday when terrorists launched the attack, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The boy appeared in an evidence video released by Hamas on April 24, in which he said the captives were living “in hell.” His left arm was amputated below the elbow. Hersh became a symbol of the struggle for hostages. Thousands of people came to the burial ceremony.

Currently, about 100 hostages remain, dozens of whom, according to the Israeli military, are already dead. The Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons group insisted that the only way to return the hostages to Israel was to reach an agreement. “The agreement on the return of the hostages has been on the table for more than two months, — the statement says. “If it weren’t for the delays, the sabotage and the denials, those whose deaths we learned this morning would probably still be alive.”.

US President Joe Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” by the deaths of the hostages, but was “still optimistic that a deal can be reached”.