Anti-Netanyahu as tens of thousands of Israelis demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu find a path to a deal with terror group Hamas, in order to free more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza. Despite the tense security situation, large crowds gathered to Begin Gate in Tel Aviv on Saturday to support the families of the hostages and to call for their release from captivity, according to protest organizers. Videos showed protestors waving Israeli flags and holding up signs with images of the Israeli hostages. There are currently 115 total hostages, living and dead, being held in Gaza, according to Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Of that number, 111 hostages were taken during the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed over 1,200 people. Israeli’s ensuing military offensive in the isolated Palestinian enclave has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health and the United Nations.
Hidden truth from the public.
Family members of captives held in Gaza have harshly criticized Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict, and are now demanding a public explanation for his government’s failure so far to negotiate a deal that would see the remaining Israeli hostages liberated.
In a statement released Saturday, an association representing the families accused the Israeli leader of choosing “to escalate the situation instead of securing a deal that would save lives.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also posted a statement on Telegram calling on Israel’s security chiefs to “tell the public the truth,” writing: “If the government of Israel has given up on the hostages, it needs to be honest with the families and stop playing games.”
Anger and impatience over the slow pace of hostage releases from Gaza flared this week following a new report that Netanyahu clashed with top advisors on whether to accept a new hostage and ceasefire deal proposal, which the Israeli Prime Minister Office has rejected as “incorrect.” Netanyahu’s office on Saturday released another statement accusing “leaks and false briefings in the media” of misleading the public, and blaming Hamas for hindering negotiations. “While Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to the deal outline, Hamas has been trying to introduce dozens of changes that, de facto, nullify the outline,” the statement said.