‘The State of Israel is betraying the hostages’, Cohen said to a crowd at the protest [GETTY]
The brother of an Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza has accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire deal, claiming the government was actively sabotaging efforts to secure the release of captives.
Yotam Cohen, the brother of Israeli soldier Nimrod Cohen, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and lead negotiator Ron Dermer of obstructing negotiations.
Cohen made these claims during a demonstration on Saturday evening, addressing a crowd of 2,000 protesters outside the Israeli army’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv.
He alleged that Netanyahu and Dermer were working to convince US President Donald Trump that most of the captives were already dead, effectively reducing pressure for further negotiations.
“The State of Israel is betraying the [captives],” Cohen said. “Netanyahu and Dermer are betraying the [captives]. It’s an embarrassment to be Israeli.”
Cohen accused the Israeli leadership of violating the ceasefire agreement, which included a US-backed plan to extend the truce’s first phase and implement a second phase that was set to begin on 3 February.
This second phase would have required Israel to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza – a condition that Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have strongly opposed.
“We are on day 50 of the deal, and Israel is violating the agreement,” Cohen said, referencing the government’s refusal to initiate the second phase.
Cohen claimed Israel’s ongoing military pressure was endangering captives, citing a New York Times report that revealed over 40 captives had died in Israeli airstrikes – roughly one in six hostages.
The frustration among relatives of captives has grown increasingly public. Following Cohen’s speech, Yifat Calderon, cousin of Ofer Calderon (released on 1 February), announced that families of the captives had planned to camp outside the army’s headquarters in protest.
Nimrod Cohen is expected to be among those released in the second phase of the ceasefire deal, but Israel’s resistance to withdrawing from Gaza threatens the plan.
Tel Aviv has witnessed ongoing protests urging Netanyahu’s government to follow through with the ceasefire terms and secure the captives’ release. Protesters have accused the prime minister of prioritising political alliances over the lives of those still held in Gaza.
In addition to delaying the second phase, Israel has also halted humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave and further endangering thousands of Palestinians relying on the aid.
Israel has announced plans to send a delegation to Doha on Monday to advance truce negotiations. Meanwhile, Hamas has said there are “positive indicators” as talks resume.
