Tzur Goldin, the brother of Hadar Goldin, a soldier who was killed and whose body was kidnapped by Hamas during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, tweeted on Sunday that the Egyptian security delegation that entered Gaza has been advised by Israel's National Security Council to place the release of Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip at the bottom of the priority list in its ceasefire negotiations.The Egyptian delegation passed through the Erez border crossing into Gaza to meet with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Sunday, having met the day before with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the ceasefire, the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip and developments in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Goldin tweeted, "Do not be mistaken, the head of the National Security Council has now instructed the Cairo negotiating delegation to discuss the return of the boys at the bottom of the list of priorities."
"It's amazing: Yoni Netanyahu sacrificed his life to return prisoners, Benjamin Netanyahu does everything to leave prisoners behind. Shame."This comes after many Israelis have taken to the streets in protest of the unconditional ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, with demands to return the two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, held in Hamas captivity since 2014 and 2015, respectively, and the bodies of two IDF soldiers held by Hamas, St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, abducted by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip in 2014.שלא יטעו אותנו. כעת ראש המל״ל נתן הנחיה למשלחת המו״מ בקהיר לדון בהשבת הבנים בתחתית סדרי העדיפויות.זה מדהים, יוני נתניהו הקריב את חייו להשבת שבוים, בנימין נתניהו עושה הכל כדי להשאיר שבוים מאחור. הבושה בחוץ.
— צור גולדין / Tzur Goldin (@TzurGoldin) May 23, 2021
The NGO Israel Victory Project has plastered giant billboard signs opposing the decision across the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv. The organization works to prevent more rounds of fighting by changing the public worldview on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Its signs read, "The essence of the IDF is victory," a quote by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi and "the nation demands a victory," followed by public demands that the organization claims should constitute a real victory in the conflict.
AMONG THESE demands are Hamas disarmament, breaking its spirit and hopes to destroy Israel, and returning the captives held by the terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip regardless of any other conditions.
"That's what a real victory is," the signs say.
"There is no doubt that the IDF has made significant achievements in Operation Guardian of the Walls, but at the same time there is a feeling that accompanies the Israeli public that an opportunity was missed after the current round [of fighting]," according to Greg Roman, Executive Director of the Middle East Forum.
"This time we had all the conditions to do so, including widespread support from the Israeli public, but once again we chose a soft policy against terrorism," Roman added, explaining the disappointment that none of the public's demands were met in the ceasefire, thus sparking the Israel Victory Project's current campaign to encourage more action against Hamas.
The campaign is a call to "the Israeli government to understand that sitting on the other side is not a party that seeks peace and quiet, but one that calls for our destruction and acts to do so in practice.
"Only disarming it and eliminating its aspirations and desires in a clear and decisive manner will bring true peace and quiet," Roman said, justifying the campaign's requests.
Protesters rallies in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem last Wednesday, before the ceasefire, demanding that the bodies of Shaul and Goldin, who were abducted by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip in 2014, be returned as part of any ceasefire agreement.
“My son, Hadar Goldin, was killed and kidnapped in the humanitarian ceasefire during [Operation] Protective Edge,” said Goldin’s mother, Leah, arguing in a Channel 12 news interview last Wednesday night that Israel sends humanitarian aid to Gaza, but they don't have the mercy to return her son's body.
“Now, when there will be a ceasefire, he needs to be returned... We must make the return of the boys the first and absolute condition of the ceasefire," she said at the time.
The following day, the workers' union at the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) announced that it will not fix electric lines to the Gaza Strip that were damaged during the latest round of fighting until the Israelis being held by terrorist groups there are released.
"As a sign of solidarity and support for the struggle for the return of the boys, we do not intend to repair and return the power lines to Gaza that were damaged as a result of Hamas firing, until Hadar Goldin, Oron Shaul and Avera Mengistu are returned to Israel," the union said.Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.