Hostages’ relatives warn against ‘dangerous’ deal with Hamas

Hundreds of opponents of the emerging ceasefire deal staged a protest in Jerusalem on Monday night, blocking the entrance to the capital for about an hour.

By Canaan Lidor, JNS

Relatives of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza on Monday urged right-wing politicians to leave the government if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to a deal with the terror group that leaves some abducted Israelis in captivity.

“Unless the deal includes all the hostages unconditionally, living and dead, in one go, we call on the Religious Zionist and Otzma Yehudit parties, along with the Likud Knesset lawmakers who have so far only supported a full deal, to immediately announce that they are pulling out of the government,” the Tikva Forum of hostages’ relatives wrote.

“Any partial deal with Hamas will turn the hostages into [even more] valuable assets, and will endanger the lives of soldiers and other hostages,” the statement continued.

Hundreds of opponents of the emerging ceasefire deal staged a protest in Jerusalem on Monday night, blocking the entrance to the capital for about an hour. Some protesters carried signs that read: “No to a deal with the devil.”

Among the protesters was National Missions Minister Orit Strock of the Religious Zionism Party, which along with Otzma Yehudit had previously announced its opposition to the published terms of the deal.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a different group of relatives, also wrote that it seeks a deal that would ensure the return of all the hostages. But that statement stopped short of calling on the government to reject a partial deal.

The Families Forum has expressed harsher criticism of the government than Tikva and called for making greater concessions to get hostages back.

The calls of both groups followed reports of a breakthrough in ceasefire talks with Hamas.

The final terms of the agreement have not yet been officially announced, but reports about it, including by Israel’s Kan public broadcaster on Monday, speak of a two-phase deal that would begin with the release of 33 out of about 100 hostages believed to be in Hamas’s hands over a 42-day ceasefire.

Israel would free 1,300 Palestinian terrorists and prisoners, including hundreds serving life sentences. The 33 hostages would include female soldiers, women and men over the age of 50, as well as ill and wounded hostages. How many of the 33 are still alive is unknown.

The second phase of the deal would include the release of the remaining hostages and talks about a permanent ceasefire, according to Kan. The report did not include a timeframe for the second phase.

According to Kan, the Israel Defense Forces would withdraw from the Philadelphia Corridor—the border separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt—at the end of the first phase.

Before it attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas smuggled hundreds of tons of weapons through the corridor, which Netanyahu in August vowed would remain under Israeli control.