In less than an hour, at a press conference held in Jerusalem on the evening of Monday, September 2, Benjamin Netanyahu succeeded in shattering the last remaining hopes of the families of hostages held in Gaza. These dashed hopes were that the Israeli prime minister would give a signal, however faint, that a negotiated solution with Hamas for the fate of the captives were still possible.
Since the announcement, on Sunday, of the deaths of six hostages at the hands of their captors, a vast protest movement has been sparked in Israel, fueled by the grief of the families and the inflexibility of the authorities, who have been delaying negotiations on a deal to exchange the 101 hostages remaining in Gaza, dead or alive, for a number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Faced with pressure from the Israeli public, his own military leaders and his Western allies, led by the United States, who are all urging him to move forward, Netanyahu shows no sign of wanting to give in.
Admittedly, the prime minister stressed the need for the country to “stand united” in these times, and apologized to the families for not having “done enough” to save their loved ones. This was a first. It won’t reduce their grief or their anger, nor will it lessen the concern of those who fear that successive hostage deaths will be announced as military operations continue in the areas of Gaza where they are being held, particularly in the south of the enclave. To lift any doubt on the subject, Hamas declared on Monday that “new instructions were issued” to the hostages’ guards. “Netanyahu’s determination to free the prisoners [the hostages] through military pressure instead of concluding a deal will mean that they will return to their families inside coffins,” said Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the armed wing of the Palestinian movement, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in a statement.
Blockage on the Philadelphi corridor
For weeks, the process of negotiating an agreement that could open the door to a cessation of hostilities has been driven by three mediating countries: the US, Egypt and Qatar. Among the stumbling blocks between Israel and Hamas, one stands out in particular: the Philadelphi Corridor, the strip running along the 14-kilometer border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. The Israeli army took control of this corridor at the end of May, against the advice of all parties, notably Egypt and the US, for whom it constituted a potential red line. Hamas now refuses to engage in negotiations while the Israeli army remains stationed along the corridor.
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