Protests calling for a prisoner exchange deal have been a weekly occurrence in Israel [Getty]
Israeli police cracked down on hundreds of demonstrators in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening after they demanded a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas in Gaza.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that large police forces dispersed the protesters on Begin Street in front of the Ministry of Defence headquarters, using stun grenades and skunk water claiming that the peaceful protest was “illegal”.
Additionally, Israeli state media reported that thousands of others participated in similar demonstrations in several areas, including Haifa and Karkur Junction, with the aim of pressuring the government to accept a prisoner exchange deal in Gaza, and expressing general dissatisfaction with government policies regarding the war on the Palestinian territory.
Families of captives held by Hamas and other Palestinian factions took part in the demonstrations, according to reports.
These developments come amid several reports in Hebrew media of a “very significant” advancement in ongoing prisoner exchange negotiations between mediators acting on behalf of Israel and Hamas.
Earlier on Saturday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the dispatch of a delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to the Qatari capital, Doha, to continue negotiations. Yedioth Ahronoth quoted sources close to the talks who claim that around 90% of the details of the potential deal have been agreed upon.
The Israeli Hostages’ Families Forum welcomed this development, urging in a statement for the Netanyahu government “not to waste the opportunity”. Appealing to the Israeli delegation members, the statement read: “Do whatever it takes until the white smoke rises and return to the country with the awaited good news—a deal that ensures the return of all the abducted, every last one of them—the living to be rehabilitated and the dead to be buried with dignity in their homeland.”
There have been numerous false dawns of a ceasefire in Gaza since the temporary deal that was struck in November 2023 that collapsed after one week.
Hamas has on numerous occasions supported immediate ceasefires, most notably the one outlined by US President Joe Biden in May of last year. Israel, meanwhile, has continued its brutal assault on Gaza and refused to compromise on occupying the Palestinian enclave, particularly the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border.
However, information obtained by The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed indicates that the proposed ceasefire agreement in Gaza includes a complete withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor on the final day of the agreement’s phases.
According to this report, the first phase of the agreement involves a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, while the second phase includes the presence of Israeli monitoring points. The final day of the third phase would entail a full withdrawal of all Israeli forces.
Despite the protests in favour of the deal and Netanyahu dispatching top national security officials to Doha, significant opposition to any peace deal in Gaza remains, especially among Israel’s far-right parties that prop up the current government.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said that any deal that brings Israel’s war on Gaza to an end would be a “serious error”, further stating that a deal is a “red line” that would see his Religious Zionism Party withdraw from the Israeli government.
At least 46,565 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its assault on the Palestinian territory in October 2023, the vast majority of whom are civilians.
