Pressure mounts around Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the killing of 6 hostages by Hamas. Thousands of Israelis gathered across the country yesterday to protest against the government, while from the United States comes the harsh attack from President Joe Biden who accused Netanyahu of not doing enough to reach the agreement in Gaza.
Protests in Israel
Major protests in Israel to push his government to reach an agreement with Hamas that includes the release of the hostages kidnapped during the attacks of October 7.
The new protests had started over the weekend, when the bodies of the six hostages in a tunnel under Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. According to Israel, the hostages were killed by Hamas one or two days before they were found.
The discovery has caused shock throughout the country, leading the Histadrut, Israel's largest trade union, to call for a first general strike since the beginning of the invasion of the Strip. Yesterday afternoon, the labor court ordered an end to the protests, but the Forum of the families of the hostages encouraged the population to continue the demonstrations despite the decision. "It is about saving the hostages who were abandoned by the prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu with the cabinet decision last Thursday,” the Forum said, referring to the vote by ministers who decided not to withdraw troops from the Philadelphia Corridor, the strip of land that acts as a buffer between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Biden: Netanyahu Isn't Doing Enough to Reach a Deal
US President Joe Biden and Bibi Netanyahu appear to be at loggerheads as negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of prisoners continue to drag on for months in vain under Israel's ongoing attacks on Gaza. Following the executions of hostages and mass demonstrations in Israel, Biden responded with a peremptory “no” to reporters who asked him if he thought Netanyahu was doing enough. He then said that “we are very “close” to submitting a final proposal this week and that “hope springs eternal,” before meeting with Kamala Harris in the Situation Room with her negotiating team to get an update and discuss “next steps.”
According to Axios sources, it will be a “take it or leave it” proposal with Egypt and Qatar within two weeks “because we cannot continue to negotiate indefinitely”.
Netanyahu: “Disconcerting Words, No Withdrawal from the Philadelphia Corridor”
"It's disconcerting that he is putting pressure on Netanyahu, who accepted the US proposal on May 31 and the bridge proposal on August 16, and not on Hamas leader Sinwar, who continues to vehemently reject any agreement,” his statement “is particularly dangerous, especially since it comes just days after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages, including an American citizen,” the Israeli prime minister’s office responded.
Then in a press conference in the evening Netanyahu asked for forgiveness from the families of the six hostages killed "for not being able to bring them home alive", promises that "Hamas will pay a heavy price for this" and seems to almost put a tombstone on the agreement by closing any hypothesis of withdrawal from the Philadelphia corridor on the border between the Strip and Egypt.
“The achievement of the objectives of the war passes through only one place: the Philadelphia corridor, which is the lifeblood for Hamas, for the supply of weapons and the construction of tunnels,” Netanyahu said, showing a map with a wand and announcing that there will be no withdrawal of the Israeli army from that corridor, “essential and decisive for our future.” “We are in the midst of an existential war against Iran, our victory depends on our unity,” he warned with an appeal against divisions, before warning: “They killed six of our hostages in cold blood with a shot to the back of the head. I don’t think anyone can ask us for any more concessions, I don’t think Biden could have said that we are not serious.”
UK Partially Suspends Arms Supplies to Israel
Meanwhile, the British government, in an unprecedented move, has decided to partially suspend the supply of weapons to Tel Aviv, due to the “clear risk that they could be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law”.
