Amid disagreements in the coalition regarding how to end the war, eight Likud lawmakers sent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a letter on Saturday night, outlining their "red lines" for a potential hostage deal.
According to the letter, the deal must include the return of all hostages in one round and the IDF must not retreat from the Rafah Crossing, which it captured to prevent the smuggling of people, weapons and goods from Egypt to Israel.
"In the current circumstances, any agreement that does not include the full return of all hostages, without dividing them into phases, effectively condemns the remaining captives to a death sentence. Therefore, under no circumstances can we accept any agreement that does not include the return of all hostages," they wrote in the letter.
In a different clause of the letter, the eight lawmakers wrote: "An agreement that includes a withdrawal of our forces from the axis of control in Gaza signifies defeat in practice. This is because it will necessarily lead to the restoration of the enemy's military and leadership capabilities and its renewed attacks against the surrounding communities and Israel in general."
The letter also referred to the return of Gazans to the north of the Strip. "An agreement that includes the return of the enemy to the northern Gaza Strip is a de facto cessation of warfare. It will lead to renewed shooting on Sderot and the surrounding cities, effectively canceling the achievements made by our soldiers' blood. Any change in Israel's full and absolute control of the Rafah Crossing will inevitably lead to the next massacre."
The lawmakers also opposed the Chief of Staff's proposal to allow international organizations and technological means to serve as an alternative to Israeli military control of Gaza. They added that the IDF forgot its lessons after Operation Protective Edge in 2014. "These principles constitute clear red lines and constraints of our coalition. It was elected to preserve the identity and security of Israel, and therefore we can't cross them," the letter concluded.
A statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on Netanyahu to sign a deal before his flight to Washington. Einav Zangauker, one the leaders of the protest and mother of Matan, who has been in Gaza for the last 288 days, said: "There's a deal on the table ready to be closed for several weeks now. And we're standing here today after Netanyahu wasted another week by stalling and dragging his feet again."
"He postponed discussions, introduced new conditions, hardened his stance, and argued that there's no need to rush because hostages are just suffering and not dying. These are distorted statements from a disconnected prime minister who doesn't want a deal," Zangauker added.
"Contrary to Netanyahu's false claims, senior security system officials have already announced that there's no security obstacle to a deal. All have been removed, leaving only political obstacles and the opposition of criminals. One person stands between Matan and me, between us and our loved ones. The prime minister cares more about saving his seat than saving lives. Netanyahu, enough stalling. Their time is running out. After achieving your photo-op with the elimination of Deif, you must finalize the deal. Before you fly to U.S., announce that you accept the deal without new conditions, tricks, or delays," she said.
Meirav Tal, who was kidnapped to Gaza with her partner Yair Yaakov, whose body is still being held in Gaza, and his two sons, Or and Yagil, said at a demonstration calling for a hostage deal on Saturday night in Tel Aviv that she heard about the demonstrations on the radio while she was in captivity. "In the terrifying darkness that covered my time in Gaza, I heard the demonstrations on the radio. Your calls were simply a lifeline of love for a person drowning in a sea of fear and hatred."
"The statement, 'They're just suffering, not dying' is a disconnected and sad statement. I want to describe to you, Mr. Prime Minister, how a minute looks in the captivity of terrorists. We passed between apartments while I was blindfolded, tied with a plastic bag over my head with masking tape, making it hard to breathe. It's sitting in a dark room all day without electricity. Without anything. It's a terrorist, a murderer, and a rapist with guns standing next to you. It's constant shaking because you don't know what they'll do to you. It's the terrible need to gain the trust of those terrorists who murdered everything dear to me," said Tal.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid spoke at the demonstration and criticized the Prime Minister in his speech. "Netanyahu is going to address Congress, he has a last opportunity to arrive at Congress and announce from the podium that he agrees to the hostage deal. If he doesn't announce it, why is he going? If you don't announce in Congress that you agree to a deal, don't travel. Go to Qatar, go to Cairo, sit in your office. Don't travel to Washington to put on a show," he said.