Thousands of protesters gathered in Jerusalem today to demand the release of some 130 hostages still being held in Gaza after six months of Israel’s war against Hamas.
Hamas gunmen invaded Israel on October 7 and killed 1,200 people in their homes, military bases, streets and an open-air rave party, also sexually assaulting some of their victims, a UN panel of experts said.
The gunmen also took 253 hostages, including children and the elderly, civilians and soldiers. About half of them were released as part of a truce in late November.
Talks to secure another ceasefire, which would include the release of dozens more of the remaining hostages, resumed today in Egypt.
But some hostage families are worried, as previous rounds of negotiations have failed and some of the hostages have died in captivity.
“People have to stand up and take them back,” said Michal Nachshon, 39, who traveled from Tel Aviv to protest outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
“It is above politics. It is above religion, it is a humanitarian issue and that is what we have come to cry out today,” he added.
While some parents of hostages at today’s rally called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to bring the hostages back, the speakers did not send political messages and focused on their pain and the urgent need for their loved ones to return home.
But in the past few weeks, protests against Netanyahu’s government have intensified. Some critics have accused the veteran leader of dragging his feet in trying to secure a deal – a charge he vehemently denies.
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