By Said Amori
JERUSALEM (AA) - Families of Israeli hostages in Gaza Strip Saturday accused Israeli Prime Minister Bemjamin Netanyahu of “systematically thwarting” the swap deal with the Palestinian factions, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
During a press conference held by the families in front of the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tel Aviv, they said: “This seems to be the last opportunity. Either there will be a deal, or we will descend into escalation.
“Since early July, a deal has been ready for signing, but Netanyahu's new conditions, particularly the Philadelphi Route, are blocking it.”
“It’s not the Philadelphi Route but a Philadelphi spin," said the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, implying that Netanyahu is using the Philadelphia Corridor as a pretext to avoid the deal.
"Most of the public and even those within the government understand that to save lives, we need a deal first, even at the cost of pausing the war,” the families continued.
They called on US President Joe Biden to pressure Netanyahu's government to finalize the exchange deal.
During the press conference, the families held up a large banner listing the names of all the prisoners held in Gaza, according to the official broadcasting authority.
Netanyahu has pledged to US President Joe Biden that the Israeli army will withdraw one kilometer from the 14-kilometer-long Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border while leaving a minimal number of military sites in the area.
The pledge comes as part of ongoing discussions between Israel and the US regarding the military offensive on the Gaza Strip and the broader implications for regional security, reports Israel's Channel 12.
The broadcaster claimed that Egypt has agreed to provide Hamas with updated maps of Israeli army positions in the Philadelphi Corridor, although Cairo has made no official statement on the matter.
The Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer (8.69-mile) demilitarized buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, remains one of the major sticking points in Israel-Hamas negotiations.
Neither the Israeli government nor the US administration has issued an official statement on the reported pledge.
For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
The onslaught has resulted in over 40,300 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,000 injuries, according to local health authorities.
An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.
Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala