Palestinian captives and the overlooked occupation

The unnecessary deaths of six Israeli hostages, Israel says by shots to the head by Hamas fighters late last week,has been blamed primarily on prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu by bitter hostage families and angry members of the public. While Hamas fighters pulled the triggers on the guns which killed the four men and two women, Israelis accuse Netanyahu of subverting ceasefire deals which would have freed all the hostages in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners.

The explanation for the killing of the hostages came on Monday when Reuters reported that Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida, announced that the group had issued new instructions in June to guards on how to handle hostages if Israeli forces approach their locations in Gaza. The change in policy followed a violent Israeli rescue operation to free four hostages during which 174 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed.

Abu Obaida said, “Netanyahu’s insistence to free [hostages] through military pressure, instead of sealing a deal means they will be returned their families in shrouds. Their families must choose whether they want them dead or alive.”

His words coincided with a lengthy televised address by Netanyahu who repeatedly stated that he will not withdraw Israeli forces from the Gaza-Egypt border zone, known as the Philadelphi Corridor. Israel’s withdrawal from all of Gaza is Hamas main demand. Philadelphi Corridor retention has been manufactured by Netanyahu to block a ceasefire deal which would end the war and see the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

In response to the deaths of the six hostages, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum mounted protests targeting Netanyahu. "If it weren’t for the saboteurs, the excuses, and the spin, the hostages whose deaths we learned of this morning would probably be alive," the Forum stated on X. "Netanyahu: Enough with the excuses. Enough with the spin. Enough with the abandonment.

The time has come to bring our hostages home — those living for rehabilitation and the fallen and murdered for burial in their land.”

The discovery of the bodies in a tunnel took place a few days after Netanyahu told defence minister Goav Gallat that he would continue to insist during ceasefire negotiations that Israeli troops would remain on the 14-kilometre long Philadelphi Corridor. This stand and his demand for troops to occupy the Netzarim Corridor which bisects Gaza east to west have stymied negotiations for three months. His corridor fixation has angered Israeli negotiators, frustrated Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators, and angered Cairo. Egypt along with Hamas demands full Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor seized by the Israeli army during its May offensive in Rafah.

After Netanyahu pressed the security cabinet to agree that troops should remain on the Gaza-Egypt border, The Times of Israel quoted Gallant as declaring, “You are deciding to stay in the Philadelphi Corridor. Is this illogical to you? There are living [hostages] there!” While he conceded that Netanyahu can "make all the decisions and he can also kill all the hostages".

August was the cruellest month for hostage families. On the 20th, the bodies of six others were recovered and on the 28th, the army said it had reclaimed body of a soldier who had been slain on October 7th. On the 27th, Farhan Al Qadi was found alive and alone in a tunnel. He was only the eighth hostage to be returned alive. The first was a soldier in late October, this was followed by two from Rafah in February and four from Nuseirat in the deadly commando raid in June.

As 105 Israeli captives and 240 Palestinian detainees were freed during the week-long ceasefire in November, this should have been seen by Netanyahu as the best and most painless method of dealing with captives from both sides. Israel estimates that there are still 97-101 live hostages and 33-35 who are confirmed dead held by Hamas in Gaza. Bodies of 37 have been recovered, including three soldiers who were shot dead by the Israeli army when they tried to surrender after escaping captivity. This sorry record has demonstrated that extricating captives by military means is not an effective option as it takes too long and risks the lives of captives.

In the media hype about Israel’s cherished hostages, there is no mention of the 89 Palestinians slain by Israel a week ago at the same time the dire deed was committed by Hamas. When Hamas is accused of wrongdoing context is ignored. 

There is never any mention of the sad saga of more than five million Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem Palestinians who have lived for 57 years under Israeli occupation and of the 9,500 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. While they are being jailed for resisting the occupation by plot, word, and deed, they are also hostages held to ensure submissive behaviour by members of their families, clans and communities. Captive Israelis are headlined in the media, but thousands of captive Palestinians are forgotten or shunned until Israeli mistreatment and torture are revealed by Israel’s B'Tselem, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch.