Families of Israeli hostages seek urgent meeting with Netanyahu

By Zein Khalil

JERUASLEM (AA) - Families of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza have sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requesting an urgent meeting to be briefed on the latest developments on a proposed deal with Hamas.

They have asked for the meeting as soon as Wednesday to receive updates on the proposed deal, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

In their letter, they said that about a week and a half ago, they contacted Netanyahu and all members of the security cabinet to request a meeting after many months of no communication, the Israel Hayom newspaper reported.

The Palestinian group Hamas, which is believed to be holding nearly 130 Israeli hostages, is demanding an end to Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip in return for any hostage deal with Tel Aviv.

A deal last November saw the release of 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.

Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7 which killed some 1,200 people.

More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and thousands of others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands 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.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul