Israeli families accuse Netanyahu of abandoning hostages for war with Hezbollah

By Said Amori

JERUSALEM (AA) – Families of Israeli captives in Gaza accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday of abandoning the hostages under the cover of engaging in warfare with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Netanyahu does not have the authority to abandon the captives under the guise of launching a war in the north,” the families said during a press conference held near the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv.

The families accused Netanyahu of “disregarding the lives of their relatives held in Gaza and choosing instead to escalate tensions on multiple fronts.”

They called on President Isaac Herzog to intervene immediately to pressure Netanyahu's government into negotiating a hostage swap deal with the Palestinian factions.

Israel currently holds at least 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in its jails, while it is estimated that 101 Israelis are being held in Gaza. Hamas said that dozens of hostages have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.

Indirect cease-fire and prisoner swap negotiations between Tel Aviv and Hamas have reached a critical stage, as Netanyahu remains committed to continuing the war in Gaza and controlling key corridors in the south and center of the strip, such as the Philadelphi and Netzarim Corridors. Hamas, on the other hand, demands a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the return of displaced people without restrictions.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated following an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 38 people in Beirut’s southern suburb on Friday.

Hezbollah confirmed that at least 16 of its members, including senior leader Ibrahim Aqil and top commander Ahmed Wahbi, were killed in the Israeli strike.

The attack came two days after at least 39 people were killed and over 3,000 others injured in two waves of wireless communication device explosions across Lebanon.

While the Lebanese government and Hezbollah have blamed Israel for the explosions, Tel Aviv has not denied or confirmed its involvement.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala