Hundreds of Israeli women took to the streets demanding a deal with Hamas Hamas rejected a ceasefire proposal to release hostages

Hundreds of women took to the streets of Israel this Wednesday to demand that the government negotiate a deal to release the hostages. The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas was kidnapped in an October 7 attack on Israeli soil.

A sign of one of the protesters blocking streets and intersections in Jerusalem as part of the protest warned that “time is running out”. Khalid Raz DrOne of those responsible for the call explained that the initiative was a demonstration of the anger of women across the country and aimed at demanding an immediate accord with Hamas. “If we have to stop the world, they'll come back and we'll stop the world,” he said. He mentioned that there are also plans to hold a protest in New York.

Of the approximately 240 hostages Israeli officials took in October, There are 132 people in the Gaza Strip, although it is not ruled out that some of them are no longer alive. Last November, 110 of these hostages were released as part of an exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, following a brief standoff between the two sides. The Israeli military indicated in a statement that at least 28 hostages were killed, according to intelligence sources.

Israeli pressure and Hamas' rejection

Meanwhile, the protest was held and it was without controversy. Dozens of Israelis protested at the Kerem Shalom crossing, between Israel and the Strip, against humanitarian aid entering the enclave.. “This is outrageous. While the Israeli people hope for a victory, the government feeds, clothes and fuels the enemy, which kills our troops and civilians with rockets and tries to torture our starving hostages,” said Reut Ben Haim, a mother of eight. The city of Netivot, according to Israeli press reports.

On October 20, Israel allowed humanitarian aid from Egypt to enter through the Rafah crossing for the first time, but in December it agreed to operate the Kerem Shalom crossing to facilitate logistics. Its opening does not indicate that aid entering Gaza comes from Israel, but rather donations and exports from the international community and humanitarian agencies in all cases.

President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said in a speech to mark Police Day that blocking the entry of humanitarian aid was a form of pressure by the Israeli side to release the hostages. Additionally, He insisted that the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing was “open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 30 days a month,” and insisted that the delay in getting help was Israel's responsibility.. “We haven't been able to send basic products for four months. Before the war, the amount of trucks we sent to Gaza was 600 trucks a day, and two or three days ago the biggest number we could send was 200 or 220 trucks,” lamented Sisi.

the previous day, An Egyptian official told the agency on condition of anonymity AP Hamas rejects Israel's proposal for a two-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of all hostages. According to the source, the Palestinian Islamist group insisted it would not release any more hostages until Israeli troops permanently halted their offensive. The deal offered by Israel included the release of Palestinian prisoners and the possibility for Hamas leaders, including Yahya Shinwar, to leave Gaza and go to other countries.

“Battle for the Motherland”

Not wanting a permanent ceasefire, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated this Wednesday that security forces will remain in the Gaza Strip until a “total and complete” victory over Hamas is achieved., Knesset, at a symbolic event marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Israeli parliament. At the same time, he warned that Israel was waging a “war for the homeland”, calling on other powers to support the decisions adopted by the War Cabinet.

For his part, Israel's opposition leader and member of the emergency government, Benny GantzHe pointed out that the objective of rescuing hostages was not relevant to eradicating the Islamic group. “The return of hostages is not only an objective on the war table, but a moral obligation of the state. This objective is urgent and does not conflict with the commitment to eliminate the irresistible threat of Hamas,” he said. Gantz in a televised speech.

The leader of the Blue and White party promised that the emergency government would know how to take the tough decisions needed to bring back the abductees. “I assure the relatives and everyone of the hostages that, just as we were able to make difficult decisions in the past, we will know how to make them in the future if there is a real proposal,” emphasized Kants, criticizing the rumors. This matter hurts the government's work and families.