Israeli Delegation Visits Egypt Following Families of Hostages' Harsh Criticism of Netanyahu

Following the Israeli military's "preventive" strikes on Sunday, September 4, aimed at thwarting Hezbollah's offensive operations against Israel, Israel is sending a senior delegation of officials to Cairo to resume negotiations regarding Gaza. This delegation's visit comes after the families of 109 Israeli hostages, abducted by the extremist group Hamas during a surprise attack last October in southern Israel, protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, urging their government to secure a deal with Hamas. Israeli media reported that during an emergency meeting of Israel's security-political cabinet, hours after the Israeli Air Force's preventive operation against Hezbollah early Sunday, it was decided that the delegation, led by David Barnea, head of Mossad, and including other officials like Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet (Israel's internal security service), would return to Egypt for negotiations on the same day. The Israeli delegation had returned to their country the previous weekend for further consultations with Israeli leaders. William Burns, head of the CIA, and Abbas Kamel, head of Egypt's intelligence agency, attended recent negotiations in the Egyptian capital, and the Prime Minister of Qatar is expected to visit Cairo during the week after several regional trips. The negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza war, from which Israel hopes to secure the release of the highest number of its abducted citizens, ended last week in Doha without a specific outcome. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel, Egypt, and Qatar last week to support the negotiations. He stated that Benjamin Netanyahu accepted a compromise agreement proposed by the U.S. in recent days to bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas, and it is now Hamas's turn to accept it. The U.S., along with Israel and the European Union, designates Hamas as a terrorist organization. Meanwhile, as the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar continue their efforts to conclude negotiations to end the Israeli military's war in Gaza, the families of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas protested on Saturday night, September 3, in Tel Aviv, supported by thousands of Israelis. Israel's condition for its forces' presence in Gaza has "blocked" the path to a ceasefire agreement. Ms. Einav Tsavgaoker, mother of a young hostage and one of the main spokespersons for these families, urged Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon insisting on continued Israeli military control over the Philadelphi route in southern Gaza until a hostage exchange agreement is implemented. This mother stated that Netanyahu has "used" Israel's control over the Philadelphi route as an excuse to prevent an agreement from being reached. Channel 12 of Israeli television aired part of Netanyahu's meeting with several Israeli women who were freed from Hamas in a deal with Israel after two months since the start of the Gaza war. This meeting took place on the first of September. The report broadcasted by Israeli television indicated the severe criticism these freed women directed at Netanyahu, shouting at their Prime Minister and accusing him of deliberately making requests that undermine the agreement every time a deal for the release of the remaining hostages is progressing. One woman told Netanyahu that at that very moment, young hostages were being raped. "Do you understand this or not?" she asked, noting that President Joe Biden had shown he understands this suffering. Another freed hostage stated that the Israeli Prime Minister has not even apologized to the people of this country for why 251 Israeli citizens were abducted by Hamas. In contrast, several senior Israeli military officials have officially apologized to the people for security shortcomings, while Netanyahu has not taken any responsibility for these deficiencies that paved the way for Hamas's attack last October. Reports indicate that Netanyahu responded to some of these women's remarks, but remained silent in the face of some of the severe criticisms and only listened to their protests, ultimately stating that anyone who said an agreement is on the table to return all hostages has lied to them. Shail Ben-Efraim, an activist in the campaign to free Israeli hostages, wrote on X that this shocking meeting, the contents of which leaked to the media, did not yield any advantage for Netanyahu and his wife, who attended. Channel Kan of Israel reported that the families of the hostages or the freed hostages did not leak the audio of the negotiations to the media because their mobile phones are taken from them before meeting Netanyahu, and the "other side" leaked the contents of this conversation to the media. Nevertheless, Netanyahu met with the mothers of several hostages for a few hours on Friday, a day after meeting with the freed women from Hamas. The mother of one hostage told reporters at the end of the session that she felt a bit more hopeful than before about the possibility of her son, her only child, being freed and assured that Netanyahu is knowledgeable about the details and willing to free all hostages. Netanyahu stated last week that the Israeli army must maintain control over the Philadelphi route and the Netzarim corridor in Gaza. Reuters reported on September 2, citing "ten familiar sources" regarding the Doha negotiations, that Israel's insistence on maintaining its military presence in the Philadelphi route and the Netzarim corridor, along with Hamas's insistence on the release of specific Palestinian security prisoners, has blocked the path to an agreement. The extremist group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union, had refrained from participating in the Doha negotiations, but several Hamas members stated on Saturday that they are considering sending a delegation to Cairo and that Khalil al-Hayya, deputy to Yahya Sinwar, may lead the Hamas delegation in the Cairo negotiations, although he may not directly attend the consultation meetings. Retired General Amos Yadlin, former head of the Israeli military intelligence agency, stated on Saturday to Kan radio that the Israeli army can "easily" return to control these two routes in Gaza whenever necessary after reaching an agreement for the release of the hostages. General Yadlin, supporting the need for a ceasefire agreement and a deal with Hamas, emphasized that what cannot be revived is the lives of the hostages, six of whom were returned to Israel last week. Yadlin is among those senior former Israeli military officials who say in the media that achieving a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza war may illuminate the prospect of reducing Hezbollah's attacks on northern Israel, which have been ongoing for ten and a half months. The Israeli army conducted a "preventive" attack early Sunday, September 4, announcing that Hezbollah had prepared launchers to fire thousands of rockets at central Israel in response to the killing of Fouad Shukr, a senior commander of that group.