The Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under increasing domestic pressure to reach a new hostage deal with Hamas after the Israeli military mistakenly killed three Israelis who escaped from captivity in Gaza.
Israeli troops in Gaza shot the three Israeli hostages while the escapees were shirtless and waving a white flag. Two died immediately, and the third was wounded and sought shelter in a nearby building. He cried out for help in Hebrew before being shot again and killed.
At a funeral for one of the victims, Alon Shamriz, family members said he was abandoned and murdered by the Israeli military. “Those who abandoned you also murdered you after all that you did right,” Shamriz’s brother said.
Family members of Israeli hostages in Gaza met with ministers in Netanyahu’s war cabinet on Saturday and called for Israel to cease its current operations and work toward another deal with Hamas. More than 100 Israeli women and children were released as a result of the last deal with Hamas, and over 130 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, although some are dead.
Netanyahu’s government faced backlash after it was revealed that the war cabinet blocked Mossad chief David Barnea from restarting hostage negotiations in Qatar, where Hamas political leaders are based. But now it appears some diplomacy has resumed as Barnea met with Qatar’s prime minister in Europe on Friday, and Doha said it’s involved in diplomatic efforts to reach another pause in the Israeli onslaught in Gaza.
Despite the growing calls for diplomacy, Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to keep military operations going. He said the brutal Israeli assault will continue “to the very end” until “there will be no authority that will continue training for terror” in Gaza. “After we have eradicated Hamas and Gaza will be demilitarized under the control of Israel, there will be no one who will educate their children to annihilate Israel,” he said.
The US-backed Israeli onslaught has killed over 19,000 Palestinians so far, including over 7,500 children. Gaza’s healthcare system is shattered, and many Palestinians are now starving and suffering from disease due to the Israeli siege.