(NewsNation) — Protesters in Israel continued to call for a cease-fire deal Tuesday after learning six hostages in Gaza were found dead.
Groups of outraged Israeli citizens blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the hostages could have been saved if Israel had agreed to a cease-fire deal by now. Netanyahu pushed back on those allegations, placing blame squarely on Hamas and emphasizing his goal for a “total victory.”
The Israeli Health Ministry said autopsies had determined the hostages were shot at close range and died Thursday or Friday. The army said the bodies were recovered from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, around half a mile from where another hostage was rescued alive last week.
The Israeli military said all six hostages were killed shortly before Israeli forces arrived.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris gathered Monday in the Situation Room with the United States hostage deal negotiation team. A final hostage deal is “very close,” Biden said.
Biden said he eventually hopes to meet with Netanyahu.
Large groups of Israelis went on strike Monday, shutting down schools and government buildings before a labor court put an end to the effort. Still, protests continued into the night as Israel’s citizens flooded the streets and demanded a cease-fire deal.
During his first news conference since the world learned of the six hostage deaths, Netanyahu said the war will end only when his troops eliminate Hamas.
U.S. officials, however, are continuing to work toward a deal. The president told reporters Monday that mediators are “very close” to a deal that would secure the release of remaining hostages. He also joined in the criticism against Netanyahu, saying the Israeli leader isn’t doing enough to reach a deal.
“President Biden expressed his devastation and outrage at the murder, and reaffirmed the importance of holding Hamas’ leaders accountable,” the White House said in a news briefing.
The details of a potential deal are unknown. It’s likely to involve at least a temporary cease-fire from Hamas and Israel, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages alike.
As Israeli protests continue, Netanyahu has repeated claims it’s Hamas that refuses to strike a deal. Netanyahu has resisted the idea of Israeli forces’ full withdrawal from Gaza.
The Philadelphi Corridor between the Gaza and Egypt border remains a focal point of negotiations. Israel wants control of the corridor to allegedly stop Hamas from smuggling in weapons, while Hamas wants Israel to completely withdraw upon reaching a cease-fire deal.
Hamas’ military wing is adding to the pressure, saying a new policy is in place to kill Israeli hostages if the nation’s forces try to rescue them. About 101 hostages remain in Hamas custody, according to Israel, which believes about one-third of those held captive are dead.
Meanwhile, funeral processions for 23-year-old Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin began Monday. He is among the six confirmed dead, along with Ori Danino, 25; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Almog Sarusi, 27; Alexander Lobanov, 33; and Carmel Gat, 40, The Associated Press reported.
As for Palestinian detainees, whom Hamas wants released in exchange for the Israeli hostages, 1 in 5 in occupied Palestinian territory have been arrested and charged at some point, Al Jazeera reports.
About 9,500 Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank were in Israeli captivity as of April. Those estimates are based on figures from Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, a rights group that supports Palestinian prisoners.
Those Palestinians whom Israel has released reported poor treatment, including being beatings and humiliation, both before and after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which catalyzed the ongoing conflict, according to Reuters.
The Israeli military has rejected allegations of systematic abuse.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.