Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pushed back against a new wave of pressure to reach a ceasefire in Gaza after hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and went on strike, and U.S. President Joe Biden said that after nearly 11 months A fight where he needs more action.
As massive protests on Sunday showed anger among many Israelis over the discovery of six more hostages, Netanyahu said in his first public speech that he would continue to insist on a demand that has become a major sticking point in negotiations – that Israel continue Control Israel. Egypt and Hamas both deny it.
Netanyahu said the corridor was crucial to ensuring Hamas could not rearm through the tunnels. “This is Hamas’s oxygen,” he said.
He added: “No one is more committed than me to freeing the hostages. But no one is going to preach to me.”
Israelis took to the streets Sunday night with grief and anger in what appeared to be the largest protests since the war began. Families and many members of the public blamed Netanyahu, saying the hostages could have been returned alive through a deal with Hamas. A rare general strike took place across the country on Monday.
But others support Netanyahu’s efforts to continue the operation in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 and caused massive death and destruction in the area. Netanyahu said the attack would force the militants to yield to Israeli demands, potentially facilitating rescue operations and ultimately wiping out the group.
The United States, its main ally, is showing impatience. Biden spoke to reporters as he arrived at the White House for a situation room meeting with the U.S. negotiation mediation team. Asked whether Netanyahu had done enough, Biden responded: “No.”
He insisted negotiators were “very close” to reaching a deal, adding that “there is always hope”.
Hamas accuses Israel of delaying months of negotiations with new demands, including lasting Israeli control of the Philadelphia corridor and a second corridor across Gaza. Hamas offered to release all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including prominent militants – roughly what was called for in the outline of the deal.
Netanyahu promised a “total victory” over Hamas and blamed Hamas for the failure of negotiations. On Monday, he said he was ready to implement the first phase of the ceasefire, which would include the release of some hostages, a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops and the release of some prisoners held by Israel. But he rejected key Hamas demands for a full withdrawal from Gaza and said he believed no other party besides Israel was capable of protecting Gaza’s borders and preventing weapons smuggling.
Israeli media have reported deep divisions between Netanyahu and senior security officials including Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who has said the time is ripe for a ceasefire.
An official confirmed that Galante and Netanyahu had an argument during Thursday’s security cabinet meeting, where Netanyahu voted to maintain control of the Philadelphia corridor.
Galanter was the lone vote against the proposal, saying Netanyahu preferred border arrangements over the lives of hostages. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the discussions behind closed doors. Galante called on the security cabinet on Sunday to overturn the decision.
Khalil Haya, the Hamas official leading the negotiations, told Al Jazeera on Sunday night that Netanyahu considered preserving the Philadelphia corridor “more important” than winning the release of the hostages.
Haya also said Hamas had offered “tremendous flexibility” including reducing the demand for the release of 500 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for every captured Israeli soldier to 50, and would release 250 Palestinian prisoners or every The number of Israeli civilian hostages is reduced to 30.
Israel says six hostages found in Gaza were killed by Hamas shortly before Israeli troops arrived in the tunnel where they were being held. Israel’s Health Ministry said an autopsy determined the hostage was shot at close range and died on Thursday or Friday.
Three people were reportedly among those who were supposed to be released during the first phase of Biden’s ceasefire proposal in July.
On Monday, thousands of people attended the funeral of one of the six, Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Pohling. He is one of the most high-profile hostages whose parents led a high-profile campaign for their release, met with Biden and Pope Francis and spoke at last month’s Democratic National Convention.
A general strike called by Histadrut, Israel’s largest union, ended prematurely after a labor court accepted a government petition that it said was politically motivated.
It was the first strike of its kind since the war began and was aimed at shutting down or disrupting major sectors of the economy including banks and health care. Some flights at Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel’s main international airport, either departed early or were slightly delayed.
“There is no need to punish the entire state of Israel for what is happening, overall this is a victory for Hamas,” said Amrani Yigal, a passenger.
But in Jerusalem, resident Avi Ravi said: “I think it’s fair and it’s time to stand up and wake up and do whatever it takes to get the hostages back alive.”
Cities in Israel’s densely populated central region, including Tel Aviv, took part in the event. Others, including Jerusalem, do not.
On October 7, approximately 250 hostages were taken. Eight people have been rescued by Israeli forces. In December, Israeli forces mistakenly killed three Israelis who escaped from prison.
About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
On October 7, militants led by Hamas stormed into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. died, but they did not say how many were militants.
The war has displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, often multiple times, and plunged the besieged territory into a humanitarian disaster, including new concerns about a polio outbreak.
Meanwhile, Israel continues its six-day assault on the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Associated Press reporters saw bulldozers destroying roads. Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics working in Jenin said Israeli forces blocked ambulances from reaching the injured.
Palestinians in a town outside Jenan held a funeral for Ayman Abed, 58, who was arrested the day before and died in Israeli custody. The Israeli military said he died of a “heart attack” but gave no details. Human rights groups have reported abuses of Palestinians detained by Israel, and the military has confirmed the deaths of at least 36 Palestinians in its detention centers since October.
Israel said it had killed 14 militants in Jenin, arrested 25 militants and defused explosives buried under the road. Palestinian health officials said at least 29 people died, including five children.
Jenin resident Mohannad Hajj Hussein said electricity and water had been cut off. “We are ready to live by candlelight, we will feed our children with our bodies and teach them resistance and steadfastness in this land,” he said. “We will rebuild everything that has been destroyed by the occupation, we will not Kneel down.”
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