Families pressure Israel amid last chance for Hamas deal

Shahar Mor has spent much of the last eight months worrying about his uncle Avraham Munder, who is being held hostage in Gaza.

Almost every day, the data analyst attends a protest in his hometown of Tel Aviv to put pressure on the Israeli government to agree to a deal to release the remaining hostages, who were taken on October 7, 2023, by Hamas militants.

Mor is terrified by the prospect that a cease-fire might come too late.

"We're bracing ourselves for more bad news because it has taken too long. Even if they reach a deal tomorrow, it will be too late for many of the hostages. Many of them are already dead," he told DW a day after the Israeli military announced that four more hostages aged 51 to 84, who were being held in Khan Younis, had died in captivity.

On May 31, US President Joe Biden presented a new cease-fire deal that would include the release of the hostages, but there seems to be little interest from Hamas or the Israeli government, said Mor.

"Both sides want to continue fighting for a bit more, flatter their base a bit more, but President Biden's initiative is to force them down and actually end this ordeal, not a minute too soon." Mor added that he had very little faith in his government. "It's doing whatever is within its reach to sabotage reaching any agreement."

Mor said his uncle turned 79 in captivity and had a number of health problems. He was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 with his wife Ruti, their daughter Keren and their 9-year-old grandson Ohad Munder-Zichri. Avraham and Ruti's son, who also lived on the kibbutz, was killed. Ruti, Keren and Ohad were liberated as part of the first hostage release deal in November.

"My aunt, my cousin and the grandson were taken separately to Gaza. And Avraham was taken to another place," said Mor. "He uses a cane and his eyesight is very bad. How could a person like him, when it takes him several minutes to get from one place to another, be taken to Gaza?"

One of the people taken hostage and later liberated is a trained nurse. She said she had helped to look after Avraham Munder, but there has not been any sign of life for him since her release.

Forty-three of the hostages still being held in Gaza have been declared dead by the Israeli military.

US plan foresees 'permanent end to the hostilities'

Biden described the three-phase cease-fire and hostage release plan unveiled last week as an "Israeli proposal."

In the first phase, it calls for a temporary cease-fire, the release of some of the hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and the return of Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza. The second phase would comprise a "permanent end to the hostilities," which would have to be negotiated during the first phase.

Such a cease-fire agreement would bring much-needed relief to the people of Gaza. So far, more than 36,000 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Most of Gaza's population of 2.3 million is displaced and homeless. Vast areas of the enclave have been destroyed and basic services have ceased to function.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite immense international and domestic pressure, has repeated his assertion that Israel will not end its war on Gaza until Hamas is defeated and removed from power.

While his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners Shas and United Torah Judaism support the proposed deal, two far-right cabinet members have threatened to quit the government if the war is ended. Their resignation could bring down Netanyahu's government.

On Thursday, Israel's Army Radio reported that the War Cabinet had decided not to send an Israeli delegation to the Qatari capital, Doha, until Hamas, designated as a terrorist group by the US, the EU, Germany and other governments, formally submits a response to the hostage deal proposal.

Hamas has not yet issued an official response, but has said it is considering the proposal positively. In recent days, some Hamas spokesmen have reiterated the demand that Israel commit to a full withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.

Relatives fear deal might come too late

In Tel Aviv, photos of the hostages and "Bring them Home" banners and stickers adorn many shop doors, benches and walls in the Israeli city. Many locals wear yellow pins and ribbons to express their solidarity.

"We have to make a deal at any cost, including stopping the war and bringing the hostages home," said Orly, a young woman who declined to give her last name.

Another young man, Adar, said "the hostages must be the first priority. We'll worry about the costs later," adding that he trusted the government to make the right decision.

Shahar Mor has been arrested several times for "disturbing the public order," by blocking roads, but he is determined and will continue to demonstrate until a deal is made.

He said the recent announcement that four hostages had died had exacerbated the sense of urgency and despair.

"They survived being held for three or four months and were completely abandoned by their country. It's terrible. And we are talking about people who built this country from the ground up," he said.

"We failed. We failed to bring them back. It's a terrible feeling," he added. "Although we have said several times that this is the last chance."

On Thursday, the Hostages Families Forum, an umbrella group representing some of the hostages' families, released a statement saying "their deaths serve as a reminder that each day in captivity puts the lives of the remaining hostages at grave risk."

The statement added that the negotiators "must convene immediately to bridge any gaps and finalize the agreement without delay."

Edited by: act