Families of hostages held in Gaza launch a 4-day march
The families of hostages held in Gaza and their supporters are launching a four-day march from southern Israel to Jerusalem to demand their loved ones be set free.
The march comes as negotiations are underway in Qatar to bring about a deal between Hamas and Israel that would lead to a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages.
President Joe Biden has said such a deal was at hand but officials from Israel and Hamas were skeptical of his optimism.
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
Negotiators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar are working on a framework deal under which Hamas would free some of the dozens of hostages it holds in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a six-week halt in fighting. During the temporary pause, negotiations would continue over the release of the remaining hostages.
The war has unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and sparked global concern over the situation in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town along the border with Egypt, where 1.4 million Palestinians have sought safety from Israel’s daily bombardments.
Nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed after almost five months of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry, which does not distinguish in its count between fighters and noncombatants. Israel says it has killed 10,000 terrorists.
The war began after Hamas-led militants stormed across southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 others hostage. Roughly 100 of the hostages were freed about 50 days into their captivity. Some 130 others remain in Gaza as negotiations are underway in Qatar. Israel says about a quarter of them are dead.
Genesis prize
Five organizations supporting the families of those held hostage by Hamas in Gaza have been awarded Israel’s prestigious 2024 Genesis prize.
The $1 million award is usually given to a person for their professional achievements, contributions to humanity and commitment to Jewish values. This year, the organization made a different choice with Israelis focusing on the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip.
“The purpose of this year’s award is not to influence policy, but to raise international awareness of the plight of the hostages and provide humanitarian assistance focused on recovery, rehabilitation, and treatment,” a co-founder of the prize, Stan Polovets, said Wednesday.
The recipients include the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a grassroots group that sprung up in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack to advocate for the return of the abductees.
Prize money will also go to the Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror, Lev Echad, Natal-The Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center, and OneFamily.
Palestinian view
The Palestinian foreign minister said he believes Hamas supports the creation of a “technocratic government” but insists the terrorist group shouldn’t be included in any coalition government — for now.
Riyad al-Maliki, speaking two days after Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced his resignation, said that a new government should take responsibility for both the West Bank and Gaza — and that the outgoing one was not seen as “prepared for that responsibility.”
He spoke to reporters Wednesday at the United Nations in Geneva, where he was attending a session of the Human Rights Council.
The Palestinian Authority, which al-Maliki represents, runs the West Bank but not Gaza, which has been under the control of Hamas since 2007. Hamas has called for all the Palestinian factions to come together to form a government.
Al-Maliki said the time was not ripe for a coalition government, suggesting that key donor countries would boycott it were it to include Hamas.
Later, “when the situation is right,” he said, “we could contemplate that option,” though the priority for now is to end the “insane” war in Gaza and protect the Palestinian people.
Al-Maliki said a halt to displacement and building international political support were important, and “Hamas should understand this.”