Thousands Protest in Israel Over Gaza Hostage Rescue Deal, Cuba Speaks Out

On December 14, thousands of Israelis protested to demand the release of the remaining hostages still held in Gaza after more than 14 months of conflict with Hamas in the Palestinian territory.

Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza have protested in Tel Aviv, amid cautious optimism that a hostage deal is within reach. (Source: AFP)

"We can all agree that we have failed so far and that we can reach an agreement now," Lior Ashkenazi, a prominent Israeli actor, told a crowd gathered at a Tel Aviv mall.

Meanwhile, Itzik Horn, whose two sons, Eitan and Iair, are still being held in Gaza, said: "Stop the fighting, it's time for action and it's time to bring people home."

According to regional sources, Hamas captured 251 people in an Israeli raid on October 7 last year. The Israeli military said 96 of them are still in Gaza and that 34 of them are feared dead.

In recent days, although there have been cautiously optimistic signals about the possibility that the parties may reach a ceasefire and exchange hostages, no real progress has been recorded.

In a statement last week, Qatar, one of the key mediators, said there was “new momentum” in the talks. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on December 14 that now was the time to finalize the deal. Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Middle East envoy Brett McGurk to push forward related efforts.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Israel continues to bomb Gaza. The Gaza Civil Defense Agency said at least 17 people, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on December 14. The agency’s spokesman, Mahmud Bassal, said Israeli warplanes targeted the Al-Majida Wasila school in western Gaza City, killing seven people and wounding at least 10. The school is run by the United Nations and is used as a shelter for displaced Palestinians. In addition, Israel also carried out another attack on the city hall of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, killing the mayor of Deiab al-Jaro and nine others.

For its part, the Israeli army explained that it only attacked Hamas gunmen operating in a command center located inside the school.

According to statistics compiled by the Gaza health agency, the conflict between Hamas and Israel since October 7 last year has killed at least 44,930 Palestinians, most of them civilians. The Israeli side has suffered 1,200 casualties, along with hundreds of hostages.

* On the same day, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel reaffirmed his country's support for the Palestinian people and other countries in the Middle East in the face of Israel's military actions.

Addressing representatives of the member states of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas - Trade Pact of the Peoples (ALBA-TCP), the Cuban President called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Palestinian territories, stressing the need for a broad, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the establishment of two states, allowing the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination.

According to Mr. Díaz-Canel, the Arab people have the right to an independent and sovereign state within the pre-1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem so that refugees can return home.

Meanwhile, at a meeting with Mahmud Abás - Special Envoy of the Palestinian President - in Caracas on December 13, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil reaffirmed the South American country's commitment to unconditionally supporting the Palestinian cause, as well as the common fight for a more just and peaceful world.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro recently reaffirmed Caracas's historic and firm stance on the Palestinian issue, emphasizing the defense of the Palestinian people's right to life, independence and existence, and the defense of their right to a new and culturally diverse society.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hang-ngan-nguoi-bieu-tinh-o-israel-vi-thoa-thuan-giai-rescue-hostages-tai-gaza-cuba-len-tieng-297483.html