Gershon Baskin
Several family members of hostages held by Hamas accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday of knowingly condemning the hostages to death, after reports indicated the premier is prioritizing keep forces on the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt over bringing back Israel’s captives.
In a statement outside IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, relatives said, “Netanyahu and his partners in the cabinet decided to torpedo the [hostage-ceasefire] deal due to the Philadelphi spin, and as such are knowingly condemning the hostages to death.”
Einav Zangauker, mother of Hamas hostage Matan Zangauker, said Netanyahu’s actions are “a crime against the people, against the State of Israel and against Zionism. Netanyahu is not Mr. Security, he is Mr. Death. He is undermining the deal in cold blood.”
The statements came after Netanyahu reportedly told ministers that he views keeping an Israeli presence in the Corridor as taking precedence over saving the hostages held by Hamas.
The security cabinet voted Thursday to back Netanyahu’s position in favor of maintaining Israeli military presence along the border as part of any potential deal, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant being the sole objector.
Former Israel Defense Forces intelligence chief Amos Yadlin condemned that vote on Saturday, telling Channel 12 news that the decision serves as an admission by the government that it will not uphold its “moral obligation” to bring home women, children and the elderly “who were kidnapped from their homes” on October 7, as well as captive soldiers.
“The hostages have been abandoned,” Yadlin said, calling the government’s stance “unacceptable.” He added that every Israeli should “go out and demonstrate” on Saturday against what he called a “scandalous” situation.
Mass rallies were held Saturday evening calling on the government to reach a deal. The rallies also expressed a general anti-government sentiment, with a particular focus this week on Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s renewed efforts to advance his controversial judicial agenda that spurred mass protests last year before war broke out on October 7.
Hamas says Philadelphi stance preventing deal
Anonymous Hamas officials told Saudi outlet Asharq News Saturday that the Israeli demand to remain on the Philadelphi Corridor was preventing the negotiations for a hostage-ceasefire deal from advancing, adding that the lauded negotiation summit held in Doha earlier this month did not actually bring forth breakthroughs on any of the key issues.
Israel is demanding that five surveillance points be kept along the Philadelphi Corridor, 300-400 meters within southern Gaza’s Rafah, the officials said, calling the demand a “complete closure of the negotiating door.”
“The Philadelphi Corridor is the main issue in the negotiations between us and Israel. When Netanyahu voted in favor of keeping the army on the route, he wanted to end negotiations and continue the war,” they said.
The Saudi report also said that major disagreements remain over the Israeli presence on the Netzarim Corridor and the Israeli demand for a veto over which Palestinian prisoners would be released if a deal were reached.
Shalit negotiator claims he reached a deal
Gershon Baskin holds the draft agreement between Israel and Hamas for the release of Gilad Shalit at his home in Jerusalem, October 12, 2011
“I received confirmation from Hamas that the organization’s entire leadership supports the proposed framework: ending the war in exchange for the release of all the hostages, alongside the release of Palestinian prisoners and an Israeli retreat from Gaza,” he said in an interview. “This is a framework that has existed for a long time.”
Baskin said he had informed the mediators — Egypt, Qatar and the US — of Hamas’s acceptance of the framework. “I asked they take this framework instead of the not good framework they’ve been working on for over two months, and [instead support] a framework that will bring us back all the hostages.”
Baskin added, however, that he has not received support from Israel for his framework.
“The first and clearest response I received last night was that the prime minister opposes ending the war… I understand him, Israel has real security considerations that must be taken care of. But it should also be understood what the prime minister refuses to understand: defeating Hamas isn’t a military act but a diplomatic act.”
Baskin’s seemingly unauthorized negotiation is not without precedent. He acted similarly after Shalit was kidnapped, unilaterally making use of his connections with Hamas officials to eventually bring about the deal that saw Shalit released after five years in captivity.
Israeli officials had previously ruled out any deal that would prevent the country from resuming operations against Hamas when necessary.
It is believed that 103 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 33 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that.
Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 31 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
Originally Published by The Times of Israel at https://www.timesofisrael.com/mr-death-hostage-families-say-netanyahu-has-condemned-their-loved-ones-to-die/
