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Families of Hostages Call for Netanyahu’s Ouster, Blame Him as Obstacle to Deal
Families and supporters of hostages kidnapped in the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist terror group Hamas, take part in the four day march from Reim to Jerusalem to call for the release of hostages, as they enter in Jerusalem, March 2, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Relatives of 20 hostages currently held by Hamas in Gaza have expressed their frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, blaming him for the failure of negotiations to secure the release of their loved ones.
Among these relatives are Ayala Metzger, whose father-in-law Yoram Metzger is one of the captives, and Einav Zangauker, the mother of Matan Zangauker, also held in Gaza.
In a press statement, the families accused Netanyahu of obstructing potential deals by rejecting offers for hostage releases and adopting a hardened stance in talks with Hamas. They criticized the prime minister for making unilateral decisions without consulting the cabinet and accused him of prioritizing his personal interests over the welfare of the hostages.
“The prime minister’s actions have been deeply disappointing and have only made the situation worse,” said Ayala Metzger. “We feel betrayed by his lack of commitment to securing the release of our loved ones.”
Einav Zangauker echoed these sentiments, stating, “Netanyahu’s refusal to engage constructively in negotiations is prolonging the suffering of our families. It’s time for him to step aside and allow someone else to lead efforts to bring our relatives home.”
The families further lamented what they described as a smear campaign orchestrated by the coalition against them.
Tel Aviv, Kaplan Bd – The weekly demo for early elections and for the liberation of the Israeli hostages has just started. pic.twitter.com/WfTBloV0y2
— Pierre Klochendler (@P_Klochendler) March 30, 2024
They asserted that Netanyahu’s conduct was unacceptable and amounted to criminal behavior. Expressing their frustration, they announced their intention to work towards replacing him as prime minister, believing that a change in leadership would expedite efforts to secure a deal for the hostages’ release.
Meanwhile, protests demanding Netanyahu’s resignation have intensified in recent weeks. In a demonstration held near the prime minister’s private residence in Caesarea on Saturday evening, hundreds of people gathered, carrying signs and chanting slogans calling for his ouster.
Israelis rally to demand a hostage deal and early elections
‘Some of the hostages’ families have already stated Netanyahu is responsible for putting obstacles to reaching a deal. Therefore, they’re forced to take action to remove him from power’ — Our @P_Klochendler reports pic.twitter.com/q4iGMIOxUh
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) March 30, 2024
Among the speakers at the rally was Amos Malka, a former head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Military Intelligence Directorate, who accused Netanyahu of abandoning the hostages in Gaza.
“If the families knew how small the gap is, which Netanyahu is refusing to close in negotiations with Hamas, they would explode,” said Malka. “This is more evidence of his unsuitability to serve.”
In an interview with The Times of Israel, Malka clarified that while there were shared failures leading up to the current situation, the responsibility for events since October 7 lay squarely on Netanyahu’s shoulders.
The post Families of Hostages Call for Netanyahu’s Ouster, Blame Him as Obstacle to Deal first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd
Magdeburg Christmas market, December 21, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
i24 News – A suspected terrorist plowed a vehicle into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, west of the capital Berlin, killing at least five and injuring dozens more.
Local police confirmed that the suspect was a Saudi national born in 1974 and acting alone.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern about the incident, saying that “reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
Police declined to give casualty numbers, confirming only a large-scale operation at the market, where people had gathered to celebrate in the days leading up to the Christmas holidays.
The post Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister
A person waves a flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, as people gather during a celebration called by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) near the Umayyad Mosque, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Photo: December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
Syria’s new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency which toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.
Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which led the campaign that ousted Assad this month. He led numerous military operations during Syria’s revolution, the source said.
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed “the form of the military institution in the new Syria” during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported.
Abu Qasra during the meeting sat next to Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, photos published by SANA showed.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad’s army.
Bashir, who formerly led an HTS-affiliated administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not declared plans for what will happen after that.
Earlier on Saturday, the ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability.”
Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of the rebels’ Idlib government, the General Command said.
Sharaa’s group was part of al Qaeda until he broke ties in 2016. It had been confined to Idlib for years until going on the offensive in late November, sweeping through the cities of western Syria and into Damascus as the army melted away.
Sharaa has met with a number of international envoys this week. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.
Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.
The post Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Sweden Ends Funding for UNRWA, Pledges to Seek Other Aid Channels
View of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib / Flash90.
i24 News – Sweden will no longer fund the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) and will instead provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza via other channels, the Scandinavian country said on Friday.
The decision comes on the heels of multiple revelations regarding the agency’s employees’ involvement in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Sweden’s decision was in response to the Israeli ban, as it will make channeling aid via the agency more difficult, the country’s aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, said.
“Large parts of UNRWA’s operations in Gaza are either going to be severely weakened or completely impossible,” Dousa said. “For the government, the most important thing is that support gets through.”
The Palestinian embassy in Stockholm said in a statement: “We reject the idea of finding alternatives to UNRWA, which has a special mandate to provide services to Palestinian refugees.”
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel thanked Dousa for a meeting they had this week and for Sweden’s decision to drop its support for UNRWA.
“There are worthy and viable alternatives for humanitarian aid, and I appreciate the willingness to listen and adopt a different approach,” she said.
The post Sweden Ends Funding for UNRWA, Pledges to Seek Other Aid Channels first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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