Family members of hostages held in Gaza, demanded Israel's war cabinet meet with them to explain how their loved ones would be protected during Israel's ground incursion into Gaza. Israeli forces entered the strip late on Friday after heavy shelling of targets in the northern city of Beit Hanoun and around the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
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Lebanese newspaper "Al-Akhbar," which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that discussions were underway on a potential deal to release around 50 hostages abducted by Hamas. In exchange for their release, the terrorist organization, was demanding the release of approximately 700 prisoners from Israeli jails, who have health concerns. They were also requesting the release of women and children currently jailed.
The sources allege that the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip last night had two main objectives: testing the IDF's advancing capabilities and assessing the strength of Hamas's defense. In response, the IDF stated this morning that Hamas often engages in deceptive tactics regarding liberation deals, aiming to prolong negotiations and delay any ground operation.
Ronen Nautra, the father of Omar Nautra who was kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, expressed his concerns at a gathering of family members in Washington on Friday, hosted by the Jewish community. "We demand from the war cabinet to explain how the ground operation does not endanger the abductees," he said. Some among the families, described last night as "the most terrible of all nights" and expressed their distress over the ongoing IDF operation in the Gaza Strip. They emphasized the complete uncertainty surrounding the fate of the abductees, who were also subjected to heavy bombardment.
"Anxiety, frustration, and especially enormous anger that no one from the war cabinet bothered to meet with the families of the abductees to explain to them one thing - whether the ground operation endangers the safety of the 229 abductees in Gaza." They said. They highlighted the distressing feeling of every passing minute feeling like an eternity. The families demanded that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the members of the War Cabinet meet with them to address their concerns.
Before observing Shabbat in Washington, the representatives of the families met with US Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris reassured that the administration was making every effort to secure hostages release. "You are not alone - the American government is doing everything in its power to ensure the release of all the hostages held by Hamas," she said.
According to the Lebanese daily, the Qatari, Egyptian, and other mediators involved in the negotiations understood the discussions were focused solely on the release of civilian abductees. The issue of the kidnapped soldiers was reportedly postponed until after the conclusion of the ongoing conflict.
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Demonstrating near the London Bridge with 229 balloons, the number of hostages held by Hamas
(Photo: Israeli embassy in London)
Hamas alleged that the IDF was deliberately hindering the negotiation process and attempting to coerce concessions from Hamas by exerting military pressure. "The enemy did not grasp the resistance's humanitarian initiative to release civilians and mistakenly believes it can compel the resistance to release all prisoners," Hamas claimed. The report also said it remains uncertain whether the 50 hostages that may be included in the deal would be released, as the terrorist organizations were reportedly trying to asses who among their prisoners had not served in the IDF.