Netanyahu faces repeated criticism over his handling of the issue of Israeli detainees in Gaza (Reuters)

The Israeli War Council concluded a meeting held last night, Thursday, in Tel Aviv, to discuss the demands of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and respond to them regarding the prisoner exchange deal held in the Gaza Strip, in a state of anger, coinciding with the families of the detainees closing the main street leading to the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, demanding the return of... Her children.

Israeli Radio reported that the meeting witnessed anger among the ministers after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy left in the middle of the meeting, indicating that the council will hold another meeting next week, without adding any details about the two meetings.

While no official statement was issued on the results of the meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on continuing the war, and threatens to launch a military operation in Rafah in order to put pressure on the Hamas movement militarily, amid American refusal to carry out an operation in Rafah, which is crowded with displaced people.

Netanyahu publicly affirms Israel's refusal to submit to the demands of the Hamas movement, in return, demanding that Minister in the War Council, Benny Gantz, give the issue of detainees in Gaza a top priority.

The Ministerial Council for Security and Political Affairs is expected to meet after the end of the War Council meeting.

Detainee crisis

Netanyahu faces repeated criticism from within Israel and from a number of politicians, including members of the War Council, against the backdrop of the detainee crisis in the Gaza Strip and the failure to find a path to guarantee their return alive.

In this context, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken - who concluded his visit to Israel yesterday - expressed his shock that Netanyahu appears to be seeking a confrontation with Washington.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported, citing American officials, that Blinken was shocked by Netanyahu's involvement of political considerations in the detainees' issue, and that Blinken was more committed to getting them back than Netanyahu.

Demonstrations in Israel

Meanwhile, families of Israeli prisoners detained in Gaza closed the main Menachem Begin Street leading to the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, raising a huge banner demanding the conclusion of an exchange deal.

The demonstrators also raised banners stating that failure to reach a deal would mean a death sentence for their children detained in the Gaza Strip.

On the other hand, thousands of right-wing Israelis demonstrated in the city of Jerusalem to demand that the government not conclude a deal with Hamas to exchange prisoners, and not stop the fighting in the Gaza Strip until the declared Israeli goals of the war are achieved.

Tel Aviv estimates that there are about 136 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, while it holds at least 8,800 Palestinians in its prisons.

Last Wednesday, Hamas announced its approval of the Paris Framework that was presented to it last week, and added an annex to it that included a plan of three stages, each lasting 45 days, during which military operations on both sides would be completely halted and prisoners and bodies would be exchanged.

Source: Al Jazeera + Anatolia