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ISRAELI GROUPS DEMAND GAZA CEASE-FIRE AS NETANYAHU REJECTS HAMAS DEAL
 
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Jessica Corbett
February 7, 2024
Common Dreams [[link removed]]

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_ A former hostage warned the Israeli prime minister that if he
continues to pursue "the destruction of Hamas, there won't be any
hostages to release." _

Israeli activists hold placards and chant slogans during a
demonstration calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, in
Tel Aviv on Nov. 4. , AHMAD GHARABII / AFP

 

Rights groups in Israel on Wednesday demanded a cease-fire in their
country's four-month war on the Gaza Strip as Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a deal proposed by Hamas and renewed his
pledge to destroy the Palestinian group.

"An immediate cease-fire will prevent further loss of civilian lives
and facilitate access to vital aid for Gaza to address the
unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe there," said
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Israeli civil society groups.

In addition to calling for a cease-fire and urging "Israel to allow
unfettered entry and delivery of humanitarian aid and goods into and
throughout Gaza, as directed to do so by the International Court of
Justice," which has taken up a genocide case against the Israeli
government, the coalition said that "Hamas must unconditionally
release all people taken hostage on October 7."

The groups pointed to the estimated 27,000 Palestinians killed so
far—mostly innocent men, women, and children—and a largely
displaced civilian population of over 2 million in Gaza suffering a
lack of access to necessities like food, water, and medicine.

"We call on the international community to uphold its legal obligation
to restore respect for international humanitarian law and protect
civilians," the coalition said. "The international community must
ensure that all those responsible for grave violations of
international humanitarian and human rights law be held accountable."

Meanwhile, after meeting
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, Netanyahu went on
television and rejected a new Hamas proposal to gradually reduce
fighting as well as free hostages and Palestinians jailed in Israel.

"We haven't committed to anything. We haven't committed to any of the
delusional demands of Hamas, the numbers of terrorists with blood on
their hands [to release]," the prime minister said, according to
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"There is not a commitment—there has to be a negotiation, it's a
process, and at the moment, from what I see from Hamas, it's not
happening."

"We are on the way to complete victory. The victory is achievable;
it's not a matter of years or decades, it's a matter of months,"
Netanyahu claimed of the war his government launched on the
Palestinian enclave after the Hamas-led attack in October.

Adina Moshe, a 72-year-old Israeli formerly held hostage by
Hamas, said
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"Mr. Netanyahu, I'm turning to you. It's all in your hands. You are
the one. You're the one who can. And I'm really afraid that if you
continue the way you do, the destruction of Hamas, there won't be any
hostages to release."

According to
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A senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, described Netanyahu's remarks
as "political bravado" that showed the Israeli leader's intention to
continue conflict in the region.

Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said a Hamas delegation led by
senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya would travel on Thursday to
Cairo to pursue ceasefire talks with mediators Egypt and Qatar. Hamdan
called on Palestinian armed factions to continue fighting.

Hamas—which Israel and the United States consider a terrorist
organization—has governed Gaza since winning local elections nearly
two decades ago. The group had offered
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deal earlier Wednesday in response to a proposal brokered by Egypt,
Qatar, and the United States.

The Hamas proposal featured three 45-day phases. The first would
include a temporary halt to Israeli military operations in populated
areas of Gaza, an increase in humanitarian aid into the region, and
the release of some hostages taken on October 7 as well as jailed
Palestinians—focusing on civilian women, children, the sick, and the
elderly.

Phase two would include the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from
Gaza, continuation of humanitarian efforts, an end to the blockade of
the besieged enclave, and the release of Israeli male civilian and
military hostages in exchange for more Palestinians imprisoned by
Israel. Phase three would include a furtherance of the first two
phases as well as an exchange of human remains from the war.

Despite Netanyahu's remarks, Blinken later told
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in Israel that "while there are some clear nonstarters in Hamas'
response, we do think it creates space for agreement to be reached.
And we will work at that relentlessly until we get there."

The United States has considerable negotiating power because it
provides Israel with $3.8 billion in annual military aid and U.S.
President Joe Biden responded to the October 7 attack by requesting a
$14.3 billion package Congress is considering this week.

The top U.S. diplomat also said Wednesday that the daily death toll in
the Palestinian enclave "remains too high" and "Israel must ensure
that the delivery of lifesaving aid to Gaza is not blocked for any
reason, by anyone," according to _T__he Times of Israel_.

Blinken further stressed U.S. commitment to a future with "an Israel
that's fully integrated into the region, with normal relations with
key countries including Saudi Arabia... alongside a concrete,
time-bound, and irreversible path to a Palestinian state living side
by side in peace and security with Israel, with the necessary security
assurances."

Critics, however, said the onus remains on Blinken and Biden to press
harder, using their outsized leverage, to move the Israelis.

"There is a deal on the table: Free the hostages, end the war. But
Israel won't take it," said
[[link removed]] the U.S.
Jewish-led group IfNotNow on social media. "Every day without a
cease-fire means death for hundreds of civilians, starvation for
millions, and safety for nobody. It has to stop. Biden MUST use his
leverage to end the bloodshed."

_Jessica Corbett is a senior editor and staff writer for Common
Dreams._

* Israel-Gaza War
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* Ceasefire
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* Israeli protests
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* Netanyahu
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