Pressure mounts on Netanyahu amid protests; ‘cease-fire deal elusive with US support’

Nationwide protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu across Israel are calling for a cease-fire deal in exchange for hostages, but analysts saw dim hope of such a deal as Israel, with US support, can still withstand the pressure and sustain the war.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to streets in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Caesarea and other sites in Israel on Monday over the government's failure to make a deal with Hamas, CNN reported. Protests were fueled by the killing of six hostages in Gaza, whose bodies were retrieved over the weekend.

Netanyahu has been accused of stalling efforts for a deal by some hostage families and their supporters. More than 100 hostages, including 35 believed to be dead, are still being held in Gaza, according to CNN.

Netanyahu's wartime cabinet has three major missions to hold on to power - bringing the hostages back, eliminating Hamas and rebuilding a Gaza based on Israel's interests, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

But 11 months into the conflict, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and Hamas is still fighting, and as some Israeli hostages were killed by Israeli strikes, the situation is extremely embarrassing for Israeli leaders, Liu said. 

The pressure comes also from Israel's key allies. US President Joe Biden said on Monday that Netanyahu was not doing enough to secure a deal for the release of hostages, Reuters reported.

The UK has suspended some arms sales to Israel, saying there is a "clear risk" the equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international law, the BBC reported. 

Liu said that by attacking not only Palestinians, but also Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and other targets in Iran, Israel has made enough enemies, and at this point, the fight is getting increasingly pointless and meaningless, and it is time to stop the bloodshed. 

But as long as the US' support remains, Israel will be able to afford the cost of the war and withstand external pressure, so it will be difficult to see a sustainable cease-fire, Liu noted.