Israeli hostage families urge leaders to prevent Netanyahu from sabotaging swap deal

The families of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip urged the country’s leaders on Saturday to not allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “once again” sabotage a hostage swap deal with Palestinian factions.

"We appeal to the heads of the security agencies and the negotiating team -- all eyes are on you, do not let Netanyahu sabotage the deal again. We must rescue all the hostages," they said at a news conference near the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.

“The country will not return to normal until they return,” they added.

On Friday, the head Mossad, David Barnea, traveled to Doha for meetings with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani regarding the hostage swap deal and cease-fire in Gaza.

Upon his return to Tel Aviv, Netanyahu's office announced that a negotiating team would depart for Qatar next week to continue discussions on the deal.

Israel estimates that around 120 Israelis are held by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, in Gaza.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

More than 38,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 87,700 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.