Israeli families call on US Mideast envoy to propose new deal to return hostages

At a press conference in Tel Aviv, the father of hostage Eitan Horn urged Witkoff to present a plan to return all hostages and end the war in Gaza.

“Present Netanyahu and Hamas with an offer with an ultimatum to end the war. This is likely the only way to return the hostages,” Itzik Horn said, according to the Times of Israel daily newspaper, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been accused of dragging out the assault on Gaza for his political benefit.

Horn urged Witkoff to “set aside the Netanyahu framework for extending the war” and instead advance a plan to free all the prisoners.

The first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel – brokered by Egypt and Qatar with US oversight – began in January and concluded in early March.

While Hamas fulfilled its obligations during that phase, Netanyahu refused to proceed with phase two under pressure from far-right members of his coalition, according to Israeli media.

Opposition figures and hostage families have repeatedly stressed that Netanyahu is prolonging the war to maintain power and appease ultranationalist allies.

The military wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, warned on Saturday that the Israeli army is currently besieging a location where Israeli soldier Matan Zangauker is being held and that if he “is killed during an attempted rescue, the Israeli army will be fully responsible for his death.”

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office also claimed in a statement that the body of Thai citizen Natfong Pinta was recovered from the Gaza Strip. The operation took place in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday, the statement added, alleging that Pinta was killed in captivity.

Prior to that announcement, Israel estimated that 56 captives remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. At the same time, over 10,400 Palestinians remain imprisoned in Israel under harsh conditions, including reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to both Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.

Hamas has repeatedly offered to release all Israeli captives in exchange for an end to the war, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. However, Netanyahu has rejected those terms, insisting on the disarmament of Palestinian resistance factions and pushing for renewed control over Gaza.

Israel, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a genocidal offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Aid agencies have warned of the dire risk of famine among the enclave’s more than 2 million inhabitants.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.