By Ikram Kouachi
ANKARA (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a new wave of condemnations after the recovery of the bodies of six hostages from the southern Gaza Strip amid a stalemate in the cease-fire and prisoner swap talks with Palestinians.
The army said early Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in the southern city of Rafah.
A forum for the families of hostages held in Gaza blamed Netanyahu for the death of their loved ones.
“If it weren’t for the saboteurs, the excuses, and the spin, the hostages whose deaths we learned of this morning would probably be alive,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
“Netanyahu: Enough of the excuses. Enough of the spin. Enough of the abandonment. The time has come to bring our hostages home — those living for rehabilitation and the fallen and murdered for burial in their land,” it added.
The forum called on members of Israel’s security cabinet who voted to keep Israeli army forces in the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border to “withdraw after the humiliating decision they took Thursday.”
On Thursday, the security cabinet approved the army's continued presence in the corridor in any proposed cease-fire and hostage exchange agreement.
With this decision, the cabinet officially adopted Netanyahu's position regarding the Philadelphi Corridor.
For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and a 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.
- Economic shutdown
The hostages’ families called for an "economic shutdown" on Monday to pressure Netanyahu to reach a prisoner swap deal with Palestinians to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
They also called for mass protests and blocking roads until a hostage exchange deal with Hamas is reached and for the Histadrut Labor Union and other institutions to strike and paralyze the country.
The families demanded that Netanyahu publicly address the Israeli public and take direct responsibility rather than "hiding behind the army spokesperson."
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called for an “economic shutdown” to pressure Netanyahu, accusing him and his "cabinet of death" of choosing not to save the hostages held in Gaza.
In a statement on X, Lapid said “that blood is on their hands,” calling “on every citizen whose heart was broken this morning to come at 19:00 to protest.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called on the security cabinet to convene immediately to reverse its decision to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor.
"It's too late for the hostages who were killed in cold blood but we must bring back those who are still held in Gaza,” he said in a statement.
- Absolute failure
Benny Gantz, a former member of Israel’s War Cabinet, condemned Netanyahu for "stalling" and called for the Israeli public to protest to “replace the government of absolute failure.”
“Prime Minister Netanyahu hesitates, is afraid and stalls due to political considerations instead of acting. A game that costs human life,” Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, said in a statement.
“The prime minister should protect the hostages and the citizens of Israel - and not his coalition ruled by extremists,” he added.
“The hostages die, the children of the north are exiled, and Israeli society is falling apart,” Gantz said, adding that “the time has come to replace this government of absolute failure.”
Shrugging off responsibility for the death of the six hostages, Netanyahu claimed that Hamas was the one refusing to participate in “genuine negotiations.”
Israel "was committed to achieving a deal to release remaining hostages and ensure Israel's security,” he claimed.
Hamas said that the six hostages were killed as a result of ongoing Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli daily Haaretz, citing an Israeli source, said three of the six hostages were supposed to be released in the first stage of the prisoner swap deal currently being negotiated.
"They appeared in the lists given over at the beginning of July. It was possible to bring them back alive," the source said.
Israel estimates that over 100 hostages remain held by Hamas in Gaza, some of whom are believed to have been already killed.
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 40,700 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 94,100 injuries, according to local health authorities.
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.