Families of hostage in Gaza say US treat them better than Israel: US news website

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Some relatives of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip who have dual US-Israel citizenship told Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu that they receive better treatment from the US than from the Israeli government, according to US news website, Axios.

One family member said Thursday that during a meeting with the prime minister that "not only does the White House embrace the families, it also supports them and keeps them informed," said Axios, citing two sources at the meeting.

Netanyahu noted that Washington's pressure on Tel Aviv wound up "being wrong" throughout history.

Underlining that he was "very angry" that the US did not wield its veto power to block a UN Security Council resolution on Monday regarding a Gaza cease-fire, Netanyahu added: "It's a completely different resolution. They took down the connecting sentence that linked the ceasefire to a hostage deal."

Netanyahu indicated that the White House could exert more pressure on Qatar, the key mediator in the hostage swap talks, the report said, citing two officials.

Indirect negotiations, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US, have failed to reach an agreement between Hamas and Israel on a cease-fire, which includes a prisoner exchange.

Through Qatari, Egyptian and American mediation, a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel lasted for one week until Dec. 1, which included a cessation of hostilities, prisoner exchange and extremely limited aid entering Gaza.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv said killed 1,139 people.

More than 32,100 Palestinians have since been killed and over 72,400 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.