Opposition Leader Asks Israeli Officials to End Unnecessary Statements That Could Derail Hostage Deal

Yair Lapid. (Wikimedia Commons/Spokesperson unit of the President of Israel/Haim Zach)

JAKARTA - Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Monday demanded an end to "unnecessary statements" made by senior officials, saying such rhetoric was preventing a hostage deal from being reached.

"Announcements, threats and other unnecessary statements from ministers and the prime minister regarding hostages, political calculations, media carelessness must stop," said Lapid, as reported by The Times of Israel, May 7.

"Are you completely crazy?! The State of Israel has no responsible adults to stop this madness," Lapid criticized.

The former prime minister argued that "steering by his officials and associates" would only "thwart the hostage agreement and constitute poor management of the negotiations."

"The Israeli government abandoned the hostages and the Israeli government must do everything but everything to bring them home," Lapid stressed.

Lapid's remarks came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly rejected claims made by an Israeli official who said he was responsible for the collapse of the latest round of talks with Hamas in Cairo over a possible hostage deal and ceasefire.

The unnamed Israeli official told The New York Times that PM Netanyahu's statement about the ground attack on Rafah caused Hamas to strengthen its position in the hostage and ceasefire negotiations.

As previously reported, the Israeli military on Monday issued an appeal for civilians and refugees east of Rafah to move north of the city, in line with plans for operations to be carried out there. It is known that Israel has long wanted to invade Rafah to hunt down Hamas battalions.

The Israeli military said that the evacuation of residents and refugees in eastern Rafah was not a major step in the southern region of Gaza.

When asked how long the residents had to leave, Israeli military spokesman Colonel Nadav Shoshani said: "The people have at least days to move," he said when asked how long the residents had to evacuate, according to CNN.

The protracted hostage-taking has drawn criticism from the hostage's family against PM Netanyahu's government. Most recently, at the Holocaust commemoration in Jerusalem Sunday night, a protester demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

"We must not fall into the abyss again. What else would it take for you to withdraw?" he said.

"Let the Israeli people remember their abandoned children," he shouted, referring to the hostages being held in Gaza.

"I have no doubts. What is very clear is that he failed in a very serious way to protect the Israeli people," the man told the Ynet news site.