Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the government on Wednesday, accusing it of not making enough efforts to bring back Israeli prisoners held by Hamas in Gaza. He attributed this to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reluctance to "pay the political price" to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
اضافة اعلان
In an interview with local radio (103 FM), Lapid said, "The Israeli government does not want to do anything and is not using all its strength or capabilities" to retrieve the prisoners held in Gaza.
He pointed to the political cost of ending the war, stating: "There is a political price for ending the war, and Benjamin Netanyahu does not want to pay it."
With U.S. support, Israel has been committing what is seen as a genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 160,000 Palestinian casualties, most of whom are women and children, along with more than 14,000 missing.
Lapid continued his criticism, saying: "The Israeli government is not using all its capabilities and is not leaving any stone unturned to bring back the detainees."
By March 1, 2025, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and supported by the United States, ended, beginning on January 19 of the same year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since avoided starting the second phase of the agreement, as he seeks the release of more Israeli prisoners without fulfilling the phase’s commitments, particularly ending the genocide and fully withdrawing from Gaza.
Tel Aviv estimates there are 59 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 24 of whom are alive, while more than 9,500 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, where they suffer from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, leading to the deaths of many, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
Hamas insists on starting the second phase of the agreement, calling Israel's decision to halt the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza since March 8 a "cheap extortion, a war crime, and a blatant violation of the agreement."
On another front, Lapid condemned the religious Jews ("Haredim") for evading military service, saying the government grants them "exemptions at the expense of our children, and there is no justification for evasion."
The issue of recruiting religious Jews has sparked wide controversy in Israel, with non-religious political parties supporting it, while religious parties, which are part of the government, oppose it, claiming that "the task of the religious is to study the Torah."
In June of the previous year, Israel’s Supreme Court required the government to recruit everyone, including the religious, but the government is attempting to pass a law that allows exceptions for religious individuals, sparking outrage among opposition parties, who have dubbed the law the "Evasion Law."
The Haredim make up about 13% of Israel's population, which is approximately 10 million people. They refuse military service, arguing that they devote their lives to Torah study, and believe that integration into the secular world threatens their religious identity and the continuity of their community. -(Anadolu)
