The families say far-right ministers “are trying to undermine the full implementation of the deal and return to war after its first phase, condemning the prisoners who will remain behind to death.”
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — The families of Israeli hostages in besieged Gaza have said that they would not let far-right elements in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government sabotage the full implementation of a hostage-prisoner swap agreement with Palestinian factions.Â
In a news conference in Tel Aviv, broadcast by Israeli Army Radio, the families said on Saturday that far-right ministers in the government “are trying to undermine the full implementation of the deal and return to war after its first phase, condemning the prisoners who will remain behind to death.”
They continued: “The ceasefire agreement must proceed until the war is completely over.”
Several far-right ministers, notably National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have attempted to obstruct the completion of the deal.
However, both the government and the Security Cabinet approved it, with a majority of their members voting in favour.
Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party announced earlier on Saturday that it would withdraw from the government on Sunday in protest of the deal’s approval.
Ceasefire following carnage
Qatar announced a three-phase ceasefire agreement late Wednesday evening to end more than 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on Gaza, with the ceasefire set to take effect at 8:30 am local time on Sunday.
Nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were reportedly killed and more than 110,700 wounded in Israel’s genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.
Gaza’s government revealed that women and children make up 70 percent of the victims of the onslaught.
More than 17,800 children, including 240 infants, and 12,298 women have been killed, while 1,600 families were annihilated in attacks specifically targeting them.
A total of 35,074 children have lost at least one parent, approximately 60,000 women remain at risk due to inadequate health care, and 785,000 children are deprived of their right to education.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
C. TRT World
