Families say they will petition High Court if Netanyahu continues to block Gaza swap deal
Families of Israeli hostages in Gaza threatened legal action on Thursday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of blocking a prisoner swap deal with Palestinians.
“We will petition the High Court if you persist in abandoning our loved ones in Hamas captivity,” the families said in a letter to Netanyahu cited by Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
The letter accused the Israeli premier of hindering efforts to reach a prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.
“Refusing to end the war sacrifices the hostages and diminishes their chances of returning alive,” it reads.
On Wednesday, Hamas said that a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap has been delayed due to new Israeli conditions.
"The (Israeli) occupation set new issues and conditions related to withdrawal, cease-fire, prisoners, and the return of the displaced, which delayed reaching an agreement that was available,” it added in a statement.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu said that an Israeli negotiating team would return from Qatar for consultations on a potential prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
Observers, however, view Netanyahu's announcement as part of a pattern of delays in negotiations.
Since the lone cease-fire in late November 2023, the Israeli premier has hinted at progress in talks for a prisoner swap and a potential cease-fire, only to later insist on continuing military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu told The Wall Street Journal last week that the Gaza war will continue “until Hamas is entirely eradicated,” emphasizing Israel's rejection of Hamas' presence near its borders.
His Defense Minister Israel Katz also said that Israel will maintain security control in Gaza and establish buffer zones along the border.
Their remarks drew fire from officials in Israel's negotiating team for jeopardizing talks to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal with Hamas.
Israel is believed to hold more than 10,300 Palestinian prisoners, while approximately 100 Israeli captives are in Gaza. Hamas has said that dozens of the captives were killed in indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes.
Israel has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 45,400 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
