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Netanyahu, accused of ‘abandoning’ hostages, says cease-fire deal may not happen

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Netanyahu, accused of ‘abandoning’ hostages, says cease-fire deal may not happen

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told hostage families Tuesday that a cease-fire deal may not be reached and that the Israeli military will not relinquish control of the Gazan-Egyptian border, a key demand of the Hamas militant group.

The Hostages Families Forum quoted Netanyahu as saying Israel “will under no circumstances leave the Philadelphia axis and the Netzer Corridor” and that he was “not sure” a deal could be struck. The group accused Netanyahu of refusing any hostage deal.

“There is no hope and no heroism in a ‘firm’ stand that will result in the continued death of all the abductees,” the group said in a social media post. “The Israeli government abandoned the abductees on 7.10 and is now abandoning them for good.”

The Biden administration has been promoting a bridging proposal amid hopes a deal could be hammered out by week’s end. After Netanyahu announced Monday that Israel could accept the plan in principle, Hamas released a statement dismissing the plan as little more than a list of Israel’s demands. Hours later, President Joe Biden accused Hamas of “backing away” from a deal.

Hamas expressed “great astonishment and disapproval” for Biden’s claim, blaming the “complete American bias toward the Zionist occupation and the full partnership in the aggression and war of genocide against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip.”

Israel accepts truce plan: US urges Hamas to do the same

Developments:

∎ Delta Air Lines on Tuesday extended suspension of flights to and from Israel from Aug. 31 to Sept. 30. Earlier, American Airlines extended its flight suspensions until March 29, 2025.

∎ Tehran supports any move to end the war in Gaza and help its people but “does not consider the U.S. actions sincere,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards spokesperson Alimohammad Naini said.

Gaza’s Government Media Office condemned Israeli airstrikes on a school and two other locations within several hours Tuesday that it said killed at least 25 Palestinians.

At least 12 women and children perished when the Israeli military conducted a strike on a school Israel said was serving as a Hamas command and control center. The military said it took several steps to ease the risk of harming civilians at the Mustafa Khaft School compound in Gaza City but accused Hamas of “brutally exploiting” the civilian population by operating within schools and other public buildings.

The airstikes, which also blasted a market in Deir el-Balah and a mobile phone charging point in Khan Younis, wounded dozens, Al Jazeera reported.

“We hold the Israeli occupation and the American administration fully responsible for the catastrophic and dangerous consequences of these ongoing massacres,” the media office said it a statement.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid led a chorus of opposition to Netanyahu, accusing him of trying to derail the cease-fire talks. Others involved in the talks also complained, telling Israel’s Kan public broadcaster they believe Netanyahu intentionally derailed the negotiations by telling some hostage families that Israel would not relinquish control of the Gaza-Egypt border under any circumstances. Such a pronouncement was sure to be rejected by Hamas, they said.

Lapid said Netanyahu’s tactics could be fatal to the hostages still held in Gaza.

“Enough with the briefings, enough with the tweets, enough with the rhymes in front of cameras,” Lapid wrote in a social media post. “All of Netanyahu’s attempts to sabotage the negotiations should stop. Deal now, before they all die.”

Israel’s chief military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said he remained determined to bring home all the hostages, including those alive to medical treatment and counseling and those dead to bury. Hagari declined to say how many hostages were still alive. When asked whether the six bodies of hostages recently recovered were victims of friendly fire, he said army forces would investigate precise circumstances of their deaths.

“We will not give up on any of them,” he said, calling it a moral obligation. “But we will not be able to bring back all of them in rescue operations.”

A former Israeli Intelligence official and regional analyst says Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s rejection of the U.S. cease-fire proposal provides Netanyahu with “maneuvering space” while crippling Iran’s ability to retaliate against Israel.

Avi Melamed, author of “Inside The Middle East: Entering A New Era,” told USA TODAY the Biden administration blaming Hamas for the failure to consummate a cease-fire deal clears the way for continued U.S. military aid. It also allows Israel to continue the war in Gaza and to attack Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon with little concern that either Iran or Hezbollah would risk a bold counterstrike that could draw the U.S. directly into the fray.

“Unless Sinwar compromises, it’s unlikely a deal is immediately within reach,” and Israel will continue its unrelenting offensive, Melamed said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, thanking him for his role in trying to mediate a cease-fire. Blinken stressed the importance of working together to prevent regional escalation of violence, the State Department said in a statement.

The Egyptian state-run media said El-Sisi emphasized to Blinken that a cease-fire in Gaza must mark the beginning of broader international recognition of an independent Palestinian state and the enforcement of the two-state solution. Israel and Netanyahu, however, have repeatedly rejected calls for Palestinian sovereignty.

Israel retrieved the bodies of six hostages from the Gaza Strip, the military said Tuesday. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the bodies of Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Abraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Chaim Peri were recovered by Israeli soldiers from tunnels under the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Zahiro Shahar Mor, the nephew of Munder, said Israeli authorities had “torpedoed” proposals that could have brought the hostages safely home.

“My uncle was a war hero who lived his whole life building the country,” Mor said. “Hamas took him but the continuous abandonment is on the hands of the Israeli government.”

Israeli officials say 109 hostages are believed to be held in Gaza, although many of them are thought to be dead.

Threatening words: Hamas, Iran vow to respond to killing of Ismail Haniyeh

There could be a long wait for Iranian retaliation against Israel for killing Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran three weeks ago, Naini said Tuesday.

“Time is in our favor and the waiting period for this response could be long,” Naini said.

Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed after attending an inauguration ceremony for the new Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Hamas and Iran immediately blamed Israel, which has pledged to take down Hamas leaders responsible for the Oct. 7 attack that left almost 1,200 people dead and about 250 taken hostage. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing.

Contributing: Reuters

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