Family members of the captives held in the Gaza Strip are criticizing the Israeli government for not taking the next round of ceasefire talks with Hamas seriously enough. They are criticizing the limited mandate of the Israeli negotiating delegation in Qatar and warning of a potential resurgence of the Gaza war.
Indirect talks in Doha, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, are focused on the second phase of the ceasefire, which is set to begin at the end of the month. This phase is meant to bring an end to the war and the release of the remaining captives. Critics are accusing the Israeli prime minister of delaying necessary steps due to concerns about his political standing in Israel. If he were to resign from the cabinet in the event of a full ceasefire, he would lose his majority.
A member of the Hamas Politburo, Basem Naim, told the Arabic news channel Al Jazeera that the Palestinian group is ready to remove all obstacles to the implementation of the agreement. However, Tel Aviv is employing “dirty tricks” and undermining the deal. The continued killing of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the delay of aid deliveries are jeopardizing the hard-won deal.
The release of three Israeli captives and 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons on Saturday fulfilled another part of the agreement. In a second step, the Israeli army is expected to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor, which divides the besieged Gaza Strip into a northern and southern half, on the night of the coming Monday. In a third phase of the ceasefire, the repatriation of the dead captives and the start of the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction are planned.
Hundreds of Palestinians and relatives of the freed captives gathered at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in Ramallah yesterday to welcome the freed captives and celebrate their release with Palestinian flags, according to Wafa.
Al Jazeera reports that seven of the freed Palestinians were taken to a hospital for immediate treatment, while others shared their horrific experiences in Israeli prisons.