Above photo: July 14, Washington DC. Millions of people across the world have mobilized to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli siege on Gaza, however, Israel has thwarted all attempts at reaching peace. Jason Bixon.
Israel has been jeopardizing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza and captives-for-prisoners swap deal.
Israeli media outlets leaked statements of Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant regardin the stalemate of captives-for-prisoners swap talks during a private briefing for a parliamentary committee on Monday, August 12. In his statements, Gallant blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for obstructing the prisoner swap deal talks saying: “The reason a hostage deal is stalling is in part because of Israel.”
Gallant also described Netanyahu’s promises of “absolute victory” in the ongoing aggression on the Gaza strip and his idea of destroying the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) as “gibberish”. Netanyahu responded to Gallant’s criticism by accusing the latter of adopting an “anti-Israel narrative”, in a statement issued by Netanyahu’s office on Monday. “Israel has only one choice: to achieve a complete victory,” the statement added.
Recent recriminations between the Israeli top officials, who have led a genocidal aggression on the Gaza strip for more than 10 months, is not the first sign of the tension within the Israeli government. Last month, Netanyahu and other Israeli ministers accused Gallant of playing politics due to refusing to support a draft law to enlist ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews without earning broad consensus.
While the Israeli government appears to be in disagreement over the captives’ deal talks, Hamas, meanwhile, is resolute about where it stands. In a statement issued on Sunday, August 11, Hamas called on mediators to present a plan “based on [US President Joe] Biden’s May 31 ceasefire proposal, the framework laid out by mediators Qatar and Egypt on May 6, and UN Security Council Resolution 2735.”
The comments of Hamas and Israeli government officials regarding Gaza’s ceasefire and captives’ deal talks surfaced as the international community has been pushing forward negotiations to evade the outbreak of a regional war in the so-called “Middle East”. The United Kingdom, France and Germany issued a joint statement on Monday endorsing the joint statement already issued by the United States, Qatar and Egypt on Thursday, August 8, on Gaza’s ceasefire and captives’ deal negotiations.
“We, the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, welcome the tireless work of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States towards an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. We endorse the joint statement of HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, President Sisi and President Biden calling for the immediate resumption of negotiations. We agree that there can be no further delay,” the statement said.
“We are deeply concerned by the heightened tensions in the region, and united in our commitment to de-escalation and regional stability. In this context, and in particular, we call on Iran and its allies to refrain from attacks that would further escalate regional tensions and jeopardize the opportunity to agree a ceasefire and the release of hostages,” the statement added.
The statement addressed Iran and its allies without even pointing out the non-stop horrific massacres carried out by Israel in Gaza, Lebanon and the occupied West Bank, or even Israel’s violations of the other countries’ sovereignty by assassinating top leaders in the region within their territories including in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.
Nevertheless, Monday night marked a crucial development that may change the course of negotiations after a statement of Abu Obaida, the spokesperson of Hamas’s armed wing the Al-Qassam Brigades, was issued on Telegram, regarding some Israeli captives in Gaza.
“Two guards assigned to guard Israeli hostages killed an Israeli captive and wounded two others in separate incidents. Attempts are underway to save their lives,” the statement said. Abu Obeida held the Israeli government accountable for the incidents, which he considered as reactions to Israeli massacres being committed against Palestinians in Gaza that “affect the lives of Zionist prisoners.”