By Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Betul Yilmaz
JERUSALEM, Palestine (AA) - The father of an Israeli hostage condemned the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday amid uncertainty over the fate of a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
“We are at the height of the negotiations, and we are exercising power that could cost us the hostages,” Alon Nimradi, the father of Israeli captive Tamir Nimrodi, told Army Radio.
“We have done this in the past and lost tens of them,” he said.
“It is really upsetting that the hostages count on Americans and other foreign governments, not the Israeli government that disagrees with us on this matter. This is mind-boggling,” said Nimradi.
The Israeli army escalated its attacks across Gaza since Sunday, shortly after the expiry of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli government halted the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza on Sunday as Netanyahu refused to start negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire deal.
The agreement has halted Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,380 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
Israel estimates that 59 hostages are still held in Gaza, with at least 20 of them alive, and they are expected to be set free in the second phase of the ceasefire, which would require Israel to fully withdraw its forces from Gaza and end the war permanently.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.