Politics Renewed demonstrations in Israel for hostage deal

In renewed nationwide protests in Israel, thousands of people are demanding an agreement from their government to release the hostages in the embattled Gaza Strip. Nine months to the day after the massacre by the Islamist Hamas in Israel, demonstrators came together for a "Day of Disruption" and began blockading roads and intersections throughout the country, according to Israeli media reports. The highlight is to be a mass protest in front of the military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Hamas and other terrorist groups attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year, murdering 1,200 people and deporting 250 others to the Gaza Strip. The protests were fueled by reports that, after a long standstill, progress has been made in the negotiations brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the USA on the release of the remaining hostages and a ceasefire.

The previous evening, tens of thousands of people in Israel had already called on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finally help the indirect negotiations to succeed. The talks are to continue next week.

Demonstrators call for new elections

Yehuda Cohen, whose son is still being held by the kidnappers, accused the government of trying to thwart an agreement. "We know that after many efforts, an agreement is now on the horizon, and we can already hear the ministers making threats and wishing that the agreement would fail," he said, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Netanyahu governs with ultra-religious and far-right coalition partners who refuse to make concessions to Hamas.

Netanyahu, who has long been the subject of a corruption trial, is dependent on these far-right coalition partners for his political survival. At the renewed demonstrations, people across the country called for new elections to be called.

To kick off the protest rallies on "Disruption Day", activists gathered in the morning near the border with the Gaza Strip to release black and yellow balloons, as reported by the Times of Israel. The color yellow serves as a symbol for the fate of the hostages. The balloons were attached to signs representing the communities that were attacked on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli estimates, around 120 hostages are still being held by the kidnappers, although many are probably no longer alive.

Hamas wants guarantees

A step-by-step plan is being negotiated, which initially provides for a temporary ceasefire and the exchange of female, elderly and sick hostages for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. During the ceasefire, the sides are to negotiate an end to the war and the release of the remaining hostages.

Until now, Hamas has made it a condition that Israel commits to ending all hostilities in advance. According to the media, it is said to have backed away from this core demand.

At the same time, however, the Islamists would insist on a written commitment from the mediators that the negotiation phase - and thus the temporary ceasefire - will continue without time limit if no agreement is reached within the specified period. This demand by Hamas is a crucial point before the mediators can sit down at the table to negotiate the details of an agreement, the US news portal "Axios" reported, citing two Israeli officials.

Report: Palestinians hope for imprisoned Barguti

The question of what will happen to Gaza after the end of the war is also uncertain. According to a report in the "Wall Street Journal", many Palestinians are pinning their hopes on the politician Marwan Barguti, who is imprisoned in Israel. He is a member of the Palestinian party Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA) that governs the West Bank, and was an advisor to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Fatah and Hamas are the two largest Palestinian organizations - and bitter rivals. However, reconciliation talks have been taking place between the two organizations for several years.

Barguti was sentenced to five life sentences for murder in Israel in 2004. For his supporters, Barguti is a freedom fighter like Nelson Mandela, according to the Wall Street Journal. His popularity among Palestinians is based on his image as an advocate of violence against Israel, but also as a pragmatist who strives for a lasting peace agreement. Barguti's importance is reflected in the demand by rival Hamas to release him as part of an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, the newspaper reported, citing Arab mediators.

The USA wants an autonomous authority in Gaza

In 2007, Hamas seized sole control of the Gaza Strip by force and expelled Fatah from the area. Since then, Mahmoud Abbas, President of the PA and Chairman of Fatah, has de facto ruled only in the West Bank. As Israel's most important ally, the USA wants the PA to be restructured and to take back control of the Gaza Strip in future. However, Netanyahu rejects this.

Barguti is the only Palestinian leader who enjoys broad support in Gaza as well as in the West Bank, in contrast to the decimated Hamas and the PA, according to the Wall Street Journal. This was also shown by a recent Palestinian poll in the West Bank.

Despite his past, some in Israel also see Barguti as a possible key to peace, it continued. "If we are really looking for a solution, we should look for him," the US newspaper quoted a former director of the Israeli secret service Mossad as saying. However, Israel's consistent refusal to release Barguti from prison shows how far both sides are from reaching an agreement, the newspaper wrote.