Israel accused Hamas on Wednesday of “placing new obstacles in the negotiations” regarding the hostages held in the Gaza Strip for more than a year, after the Palestinian Islamist movement said that the Israeli “new conditions” “rejected” a agreement, reports Agerpres.
“The terrorist organization Hamas lies again, backtracks on the points that were the subject of an agreement and continues to put new obstacles in the negotiations,” indicated the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7 resulted in the death of at least 1,208 people, most of them civilians. Of the 251 people abducted that day, 96 are still in Gaza, 34 of whom have been declared dead by the Israeli army.
More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in the retaliatory Israeli military campaign, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Health Ministry of the Hamas government in Gaza, considered reliable by the UN.
An Israeli investigation concluded that the presence of troops in Gaza led to the murder of six hostages by Hamas.
An Israeli military investigation concluded on Tuesday that the presence of troops operating in the Rafah region of the southern Gaza Strip likely led to the killing of six hostages by Hamas fighters in August, according to a statement from the army, Agerpres cites.
The bodies of the hostages Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino were found by the Israeli army in an underground tunnel in Gaza in late August.
The Israeli military said the six hostages were killed even before soldiers reached them, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying they were “executed” with a bullet “in the back of the head.”
The Israeli army, which ordered an investigation, indicated on Tuesday that “the army’s ground activity, although progressive and cautious, had a circumstantial influence on the terrorists’ decision to kill the six hostages”.
“The Chief of Staff has determined, based on the investigation, that the hostages were killed by strikes by Hamas terrorists while army forces were operating in the area.”
In a statement released later Tuesday, the Hostage Families Forum, the main association of relatives of hostages captured during the unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, called for the return of all the ‘hostages still held in Gaza.
“It is time to bring home all the hostages. We need an agreement that guarantees the return of all the hostages in a quick and predetermined time,” he said.
Negotiations for an agreement continue
In recent days, indirect negotiations have taken place in Doha between Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the United States, reviving the hope of an agreement.
On Monday, in front of the parliament, Netanyahu reported on “some progress” in the negotiations. On Tuesday, his office said Israeli negotiators had returned from Qatar after “significant negotiations”.
“The team is returning to Israel for internal consultations on further negotiations for the return of our hostages,” he added.
Palestinian groups, including Hamas, also reported progress this week toward a ceasefire and hostage deal.
Israel’s president calls for a deal “by all means”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called on the country’s leaders on Wednesday to conclude “by all means” an agreement regarding the hostages held for more than a year in the Gaza Strip, reports AFP.
“We call on our leaders to act with all their strength and with all the means at their disposal to conclude an agreement,” said the Israeli president, whose role is mainly protocol.
