Israel: protesters demand the release of hostages after the release of the video of the kidnapped soldiers

Thousands of Israelis took to the streets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to demand the immediate release of the hostages, a few hours after the release of a video showing the kidnapping of five female soldiers by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on 7 October. In Tel Aviv, crowds gathered outside the Kirya military headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces. According to the Times of Israel newspaper, the protesters lit a bonfire in the street, blocking traffic in both directions. Inside the headquarters, the war cabinet was holding a meeting to discuss strategies for releasing the hostages. At the same time, in Jerusalem, protesters gathered in front of the prime minister’s office Benjamin Netanyahu. Here too, the demands are the same: the immediate release of the hostages.

The families of the hostages had released a video showing the kidnapping of five Israeli soldiers who were operating in the Nahal Oz base, near the Jewish state’s border with the Gaza Strip. “Times of Israel” specifies that the five women are Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa And Naama Levy.

The video, lasting just over three minutes and recorded by the “body cams” of the Islamist militiamen, was cut to remove the parts considered most explicit. “The video is a damning testimony to the nation’s failure to bring home the hostages, who were abandoned for 229 days. The Israeli government must not waste another moment: it must return to the negotiating table today,” the Forum of Families of the Hostages and Missing Persons in Israel said in a statement.

Related posts