Demands that Israel reach agreement with Hamas militants for a cease-fire were intensifying Sunday inside and outside the country as fallout from the fatal, friendly fire shooting of escaped hostages continued to rock the nation.
Three Israelis who had escaped Hamas captivity were fatally shot by Israeli troops Friday despite waving white flags. On Saturday, scores of protesters set up tents outside the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, pledging to remain there until the government resumed hostage negotiations with Hamas.
“The hostages are experiencing hell and they are in mortal peril,” Raz Ben-Ami, a hostage released during a weeklong cease-fire, told the Associated Press. “Israel must offer another hostage-release deal.”
David Barnea, Israel’s Mossad spy agency chief, met with Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who has mediated with Hamas, to discuss renewed talks, Israeli media reported.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, visiting Israel Sunday, called for an “immediate truce” to allow for the release of more hostages, increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza and talks aimed at a long-term solution. Pope Francis on Sunday called for peace, saying “unarmed civilians are being bombed and shot at.”
David Cameron, Britain’s foreign secretary, said on social media that Hamas must be removed from power in Gaza but that the UK and Germany “support a sustainable cease-fire. The sooner it comes, the better. The need is urgent.”
Hostages shot:Captives had white flag when mistakenly killed by Israeli military, reports say
Developments:
∎ Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he backs the White House’s staunch support of Israel despite the military campaign that has killed more than 18,000 Palestinians.
∎ Telecom services were being restored to Gaza after a four-day communications blackout, the longest of several outages that have hampered humanitarian efforts.
Israel claims to find largest Hamas tunnel yet
Israeli forces in northern Gaza said they discovered the largest Hamas tunnel found since the war began. The tunnel has several branches and includes sewerage, electricity, communication and telephone infrastructures, as well as overhead doors designed to prevent the entry of Israeli forces. The tunnel has room for vehicles to drive inside, and a cache of Hamas weapons were seized, the military said.
The Israeli military has accused Hamas of using tunnels under hospitals and other civilian buildings as part of an effort to protect its leadership with civilian human shields.
No Israeli military presence at funeral for man killed by friendly fire
The funeral for Samar Fouad Talalka, one of three Israeli men killed Friday by Israeli troops after escaping Hamas captivity, took place without any representation from the Israeli government, local media reported Sunday. Talalka, Yotam Haim and Alon Lulu Shamriz had approached the soldiers, shirtless and waving a white flag. Haim and Shamriz were kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Kfar Aza while Talalka was taken from Kibbutz Nir Am, both in southern Israel, the IDF said.
The Israeli military, which has said the soldiers mistook the hostages for militants, said the Israeli ground campaign likely provided the opportunity for the captives to escape and could provide more opportunities for hotages to gain their freedom.
Contributing: The Associated Press