Israeli media quoted an Israeli political official as saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave Mossad chief David Barnea full freedom to work to release detainees held by the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli official indicated that Netanyahu's instructions to the head of the Mossad include meeting with mediators with the aim of "liberating" the detainees.

For his part, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said, "We will do everything we can to spare the kidnapped people from any danger during our operations against the tunnels."

Yesterday, Wednesday, the Association of Families of Israeli Detainees in the Gaza Strip called on the Israeli government to work on a new prisoner exchange deal.

The Association of Families of Israeli Detainees - in a sit-in in central Tel Aviv - expressed increasing concerns about the fate of their children in the wake of the Israeli army’s talk of “recovering” the bodies of two detainees.

The families called on the Israeli government to move quickly and set a new course to release their families, accusing the Red Cross of "moving slowly in light of the great danger facing detainees in Gaza."

Disagreements and waiting

Israeli Channel 13 reported that disagreements were plaguing the War Council regarding a new exchange deal to return more detainees held by Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza.

The channel explained that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant believe that they must wait for any indication from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) that it is interested in an exchange deal, “which did not happen,” according to the channel.

Channel 13 added that Israeli War Council member Benny Gantz believes that Israel must find an opportunity to move the negotiation process forward again.

Last Monday, Israeli media reported new moves to conclude a prisoner exchange deal between the Palestinian resistance in Gaza and Israel, indicating that the conditions are ripe, and that Tel Aviv is ready to listen to the mediators’ proposals regarding a new exchange deal.

The families of Israeli detainees in Gaza escalated their pressure on the Netanyahu government in previous times by organizing a protest march from Tel Aviv to the Prime Minister’s Office in occupied Jerusalem, to demand practical steps to return their children.

A state of anger also prevailed among the families of the Israeli prisoners when they met earlier with members of the war council led by Netanyahu, and some of them withdrew from the meeting in protest at the failure to answer their questions.

A temporary truce began last November 24, lasting 7 days, between the Hamas movement and the Israeli occupation, mediated by the State of Qatar and Egyptian-American coordination, during which 80 Israelis were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.