Families of Israel captives oppose partial prisoner swap deal

The families of Israeli captives held by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza have rejected the conclusion of a deal that would see them released in “small batches”, and demanded that captives be released in one go, Israeli media outlets reported yesterday.

This came in statements read by the families who have been demonstrating in Tel Aviv and in front of the Ministry of Defence and the home of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to demand the return of their loved ones.

The Maariv newspaper said one captive’s mother called on the security cabinet and leaders of the security apparatus to propose a comprehensive deal to release all the captives in “one exchange”.

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The brother of another captive, Danny Elgarat, said “the only way to return all the captives and save lives is through a deal”, adding that the only deal that will return everyone is ending the war in Gaza.

Yifat Calderon, whose cousin is held in Gaza, slammed Netanyahu and accused him of obstructing the deal, saying his cousin “could have been home a long time ago if Netanyahu had not thwarted the deals to return them with evilness and contempt. Netanyahu wants to prolong the war forever.”

Media reports have recently surfaced of a new deal that would see the release of four Israelis in return for releasing an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and a two-day ceasefire.

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