“Last Chance” Call from Relatives of Israeli Prisoners
The umbrella organization formed by the families of Israeli prisoners made a call with the slogan “Last chance”, emphasizing the ongoing negotiations in Doha. Following this call, hundreds of people marched towards the Ministry of Defense complex in the capital Tel Aviv in the evening.
This crowded group gathered at two separate gates of the ministry complex and demanded that the government immediately sign the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement on the table. Some elderly demonstrators could not hold back their tears, emphasizing that this agreement should be implemented as soon as possible.
The demonstrators especially accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of postponing the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza for political reasons. Protests against far-right figures in Netanyahu’s coalition featured prominently in the slogans of demonstrators.
Yair, one of the Israeli demonstrators, stated that he participated in the protest to make his voices heard against Prime Minister Netanyahu, whom he described as “criminal”. Yair stated that the far-rightists in Netanyahu’s coalition did not want to sign the prisoner exchange agreement, and the reason for this was that they threatened to overthrow his government.
Another demonstrator, Dora Cohen, stated that they gather every evening and every weekend to demand a prisoner exchange agreement, and pointed to the ongoing talks in Doha, stating that today is the “decision moment”. Cohen emphasized that Netanyahu is one of the biggest obstacles to the agreement and stated that the lives of Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip are in danger. He also added that the loss of life in Gaza has increased and that Palestinians are facing a major humanitarian crisis.
Demonstrators marching on the streets of Tel Aviv closed some of the city’s main streets to traffic. This situation led to an increase in density in the city and reactions from various parties.
Negotiations Between Parties
Negotiations have been ongoing between the parties for a long time to stop the attacks that Israel launched on the Gaza Strip on October 7. However, Netanyahu has been criticized both within Israel and internationally for not making a prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas for political reasons.
In a joint statement published on August 8, mediators consisting of the USA, Egypt and Qatar called on Israel and Hamas to restart negotiations in Cairo or Doha on August 15 for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange in Gaza. This call was seen as a new ray of hope between the parties.
In its response to the mediators’ call, Hamas said, “Both we, as well as the Egyptian and Qatari mediators, know the intention and attitude of Israel and the Benjamin Netanyahu government. Despite this, we approached the last proposal positively. However, “Israel put forward new conditions that were not put forward during the negotiation process.” he said
US President Joe Biden announced the 3-stage ceasefire plan, which was stated to be Israel’s proposal, on May 31. This plan includes a permanent ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from all of Gaza, mutual release of hostages and detainees, return of displaced Palestinians to Gaza, uninterrupted and adequate delivery of humanitarian aid, and reconstruction of Gaza.
However, Netanyahu later put forward new conditions regarding the prisoner exchange negotiations and demanded that “armed Palestinians be prevented from returning from the south to the north and that the Israeli army remains in the Philadelphia Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt.” These developments are among the factors that negatively affect the course of the negotiations.
