Israeli opposition leaders urge PM Netanyahu to support deal which frees all hostages at once, offer political backing

Israeli opposition leaders across the political spectrum urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday to free all the remaining hostages and vowed to back him if he greenlights a comprehensive hostage release agreement with the Hamas terrorist organization. 

"Bringing the hostages home is the most urgent task,” urged the opposition head Yair Lapid, National Unity leader Benny Gantz, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, and The Democrats (Labor) party leader, Yair Golan. 

"We call to shorten the wait for their return and to seek a one-time release and vow to allow political and public backing for this move," the opposition lawmakers added in their appeal to Netanyahu. 

Concerns are growing in Israel that the remaining hostages' health is deteriorating rapidly, raising fears they may not survive without imminent release.

Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu recently said the terror group was prepared to free all of the remaining hostages if Israel agreed to proceed with phase 2 of the internationally brokered hostage agreement. 

“We have informed the mediators that Hamas is ready to release all hostages in one batch during the second phase of the agreement, rather than in stages, as in the current first phase,” al-Nunu told Agence France-Presse. However, in addition to demanding the release of an even larger number of convicted terrorists from Israeli prisons, Hamas has also demanded a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. Hamas, which has been severely degraded after more than a year of war, also seeks to secure a permanent ceasefire deal.

The Netanyahu government has insisted that it will eventually proceed with military operations against Hamas until it is defeated and neutralized as a military and political force in Gaza. It is, therefore, unlikely that Netanyahu will agree to a permanent ceasefire before accomplishing the central war goal of eliminating Hamas. 

There is a wide consensus in Israel that the remaining hostages must be released as soon as possible. However, Israeli society is deeply divided by the controversial issue of releasing convicted terrorists and murderers from Israeli jails. 

Israeli lawmaker Moshe Solomon, from the conservative Religious Zionism party (part of the Netanyahu-led coalition government), threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu proceeded with the second phase of the deal. 

“If phase two happens, we will leave the government,” Solomon said earlier this week. 

The Religious Zionism party demands that Israel resume its full military operations against Hamas. 

“I expect [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] and cabinet to fulfill their commitment where we complete phase 1 of the deal and act with military force against the Hamas terror organization. I believe this is how we can bring back the hostages who are there. Currently, phase 1 has ended with everything that was promised, despite Hamas's violations," Solomon argued. 

Solomon’s statement echoed similar warnings issued by the party’s head and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich in January. 

“I won't be in the government for one day if we don't return to fight until victory. Whoever kidnaps hostages should die, and immediately after the release, we should come back and destroy him,” Smotrich demanded. 

Meanwhile, Itamar Ben Gvir, the head of the Otzma Yehudit party, which exited the Netanyahu government in January in protest against the ceasefire, warned last month against a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. 

"The deal that is taking shape is a reckless deal," Ben Gvir stated, stressing the danger of not defeating Hamas. He also warned that releasing hundreds of convicted terrorists from Israeli jails would “erase the achievements of the war.”