Israel Calls for Increased Sanctions on Iran and Hamas Following Death of Six Hostages

The Israeli Foreign Minister, following the death of six Israeli hostages 'a short time' before the arrival of the Israeli army at a tunnel in Rafah, called for increased global sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the extremist group Hamas. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union but maintains close ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel views Iran as one of the factors strengthening Hamas over recent decades. According to Israeli media reports on Monday, September 12, Yisrael Katz instructed the country's ambassadors worldwide to negotiate with their host countries for further sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hamas. In Katz's letter to the ambassadors, he stated that the international community should be urged to take all possible actions, including sanctions and legal steps against Hamas and its supporters, led by Iran. He added, 'Now is the time to support Israel, not to strengthen its enemies.' The letter referred to the 'execution' of six Israeli hostages in Gaza, describing their deaths as 'crossing a red line' and a 'shocking war crime by a murderous terrorist organization seeking to realize an extremist ideology aimed at the destruction of the state of Israel.' According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli Foreign Minister referred to the Islamic Republic of Iran as the 'head of the snake' and wrote: 'Iran finances, arms, directs, and trains Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.' In recent days, Yisrael Katz has also accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of increasing efforts to arm Palestinian militants in the West Bank. Since the beginning of the Gaza war following the Hamas attack on Israeli territory on October 7 last year, Tehran has supported Hamas's calls for a ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, but Israel has not provided evidence linking Iran to the deaths of the six hostages. Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether Hamas leadership ordered the killing of the hostages or if local Hamas forces, who were guarding the six hostages, killed them and fled as Israeli forces approached the mentioned tunnel. The death of the six young hostages in Hamas's custody, who had survived approximately 11 months of the Gaza war, has deeply impacted Israeli society and intensified pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporting ministers. Four of these young individuals were those who might have been released had a deal been reached. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have recently gathered in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other parts of the country, emphasizing the need to reach an agreement to bring the remaining hostages back alive from Gaza. Parents of some of these hostages and a group of protesters have accused Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing the agreement. These protesters have stated that Netanyahu's insistence on continuing the deployment of the Israeli army in the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza, bordering Egypt, is hindering the achievement of an agreement. A general strike in Israel to pressure Netanyahu was halted by a ruling from the 'Labor Court.' However, on Monday night, Netanyahu held an unscheduled press conference in Jerusalem to explain his reasons for the necessity of the Israeli army's presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, stating: 'The axis of evil needs the Philadelphi Corridor.' His reference to the 'axis of evil' included the Islamic Republic of Iran and Tehran-supported groups in the region. Netanyahu stated that over the years, weapons have been transferred from outside into Gaza through this corridor, and if Israel withdraws from this 14-kilometer road, arms smuggling will resume, and Israel will face 'enormous global political pressure' to re-enter it. Some Iranian officials have acknowledged assisting Hamas in building weapons in Gaza, including through tunnels in the strip. Ezzatollah Zarghami, a former commander of the IRGC's missile unit, who later became a minister in the Islamic Republic's governments, admitted on Islamic Republic TV that he himself had been present in these tunnels to assist in strengthening Hamas's armament. A survey by Israel's Kan network, released on the same night as Netanyahu's statements, indicated that 49% of Israelis opposed an agreement for the release of hostages at the cost of withdrawing the Israeli army from the Philadelphi Corridor, while 43% supported it. There are still 101 Israeli hostages in Hamas's custody. U.S. President Joe Biden, in response to a Reuters question on whether Netanyahu has made the utmost effort to reach a hostage release agreement, said: 'No.' According to the Washington Post and Axios, the Biden administration is preparing a 'final' agreement to present to Israel and Hamas.