Israeli opposition leader calls on Netanyahu to reach Gaza cease-fire, hostage deal

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to reach a Gaza cease-fire and hostage swap deal with Hamas, emphasizing the need to set aside “any political interests.”

“I just finished a long meeting with (US) Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken. Before that, I met with the (US) National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, discussing the situation back home in Israel and relations with the United States and most importantly, the hostage deal that needs to be taken,” Lapid told reporters outside the US State Department.

"I believe that any political interests should be set aside for this. This is way more important," he said.

“Israel as a nation will not heal unless we will bring them (the hostages) back home. This is essential to our existence,” he added.

“I think the Israeli government should do more in order to bring them back home,” he added.

US President Joe Biden said on May 31 that Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, the Israeli military’s withdrawal from Gaza, a surge in aid and a permanent end to hostilities.

A bridging proposal put forward by the US, Egypt and Qatar on Aug. 16 aimed to bridge the gaps over the prisoner exchange. But critics argue that Netanyahu’s opposition to withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor, a strategic border area between Gaza and Egypt, has complicated potential prisoner exchange deals with Hamas.

Hamas continues to demand a full Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and the return of displaced Palestinians.

While US officials say that 90% of the terms of a Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal have been agreed upon, Netanyahu rejects their assessment that a deal is close.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack last year by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed 1,139 people and led to the taking of around 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

Since then, more than 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and nearly 94,400 injured, according to Gaza health authorities.​​​​​​​

Israel currently holds at least 9,500 Palestinian prisoners, while it estimates that 101 Israeli hostages are being held in Gaza, an unknown number of whom are believed to have been killed while in captivity.