3 Israeli soldiers captured by Hamas plead for prisoner exchange deal, cease-fire

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Three Israeli soldiers captured by the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas on Oct. 7, pleaded Friday for their government to end the war against Gaza and reach a prisoner exchange deal.

"I am still here (in Gaza) because those who are supposed to return me home have abandoned me and continue to do so, and I fear for my life,'' Karina Ariev,19, said in a video published by al-Qassam.

The video comes as reports accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing Qatari mediation efforts between Tel Aviv and Hamas to reach a prisoner exchange deal.

"I live under fire, attacks, shelling. I flee from place to another because you do not stop the war,'' she said, demanding the government "stop this war, reach an agreement, and bring us back alive.''

Daniella Gilbloa, 19, said: "At one point, your shelling nearly killed me."

"Where was our government when we were captured?" she asked. "As a soldier, I sacrificed for Israel and served in a dangerous position in the Gaza envelope ... and you abandoned me."

She urged Israel to "act as it should be so that all hostages return alive to their homes," appealing to her family to exert effort to pressure the government.

Doron Steinbrecher, 31, said: "We've lost enough in this war, stop it."

She accused the army of killing her fellow soldiers. "You are killed my comrades, and from the very first day of the war, you abandoned us."

"I appeal to the government to stop the war and do what you can before it's too late,'' she said, calling for a hostage deal before more hostages die.

Qatar told Israel on Thursday that Hamas suspended talks for a prisoner swap deal, demanding a full Israeli troop withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and an end to the war in the first stage of any deal.

Hamas is believed to be holding nearly 136 Israelis following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since the cross-border attack which Tel Aviv said killed 1,200 people.

At least 26,083 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 64,487 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio