On Sunday, Israeli protesters blocked the road outside Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence. (File photo)
Hundreds of Israeli settlers have held a protest rally in the occupied city of al-Quds, calling for the completion of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
On Sunday, the protesters blocked the road outside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence.
They threatened to continue their protest until the regime’s cabinet agrees to a deal with Hamas that would lead to the release of the remaining captives in Gaza.
Israeli forces set up barricades to prevent the demonstrators, who lit flares and bonfires, from getting too close to Netanyahu’s residence.
The protest followed the Israeli prime minister's decision to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire until the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday.
“You are betraying hostages and citizens,” “No hostages were returned yesterday” and “Israeli government violated agreement on returning hostages home” chanted protesters during the demonstration.
Similar protests were staged outside the homes of the ministers of education, transport, innovation, strategic affairs, Diaspora affairs, and the head of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Netanyahu “decided to violate the agreement and drag us into a futile war, in complete disregard of the Israeli interest and the will of the people,” the mother of Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker said.
“He is burying them in the tunnels of death for the sake of a bunch of delusional people who are disconnected from reality,” she said, referring to far-right members of his coalition regime.
Under the ceasefire deal that took effect on January 19, Israel had largely halted its airstrikes on Gaza.
The deal had also facilitated the release of dozens of Israeli captives and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and abductees.
Israel said it wanted an extension of the first stage for the exchange of Israeli captives, alive and deceased, in return for the continued release of Palestinian prisoners and abductees.
Hamas, however, has rejected the extension to the first phase, asserting that the regime's failure to implement the second phase would endanger the lives of the captives.
“Extending the first phase in the manner proposed by the occupation is unacceptable to us,” Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told CNN.
The second phase was to include a permanent end to Israel’s military campaign, a full withdrawal of the regime’s forces from Gaza and the release of around 60 remaining captives held by Hamas.
There are thought to be 24 Israeli hostages still alive in Gaza.
Israel also stopped the entry of all goods and supplies into the coastal enclave on Sunday and warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas doesn’t accept a proposal to extend the truce deal.
