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Protesters also called for an immediate ceasefire to end more than eight months of fighting in Gaza, which has killed nearly 38,000 Palestinians and at least 318 Israeli soldiers.
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv to demand the Israeli government do more to secure the release of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
Protesters carried photos of some of the Israelis taken prisoner during the Hamas incursion into Israel last October, when about 250 people were kidnapped.
They also asked for a cease fire immediately to end more than eight months of near-killing fighting in Gaza 38 thousand Palestinians and at least 318 Israeli soldiers.
“I’m here tonight for my brother Keith, who has been a hostage in Gaza for 267 days. I’m here to speak for him. He can’t speak for himself. I’m here to tell everyone who will listen and even those who won’t listen. Whatever deal can be made, it must be made. The war must end. My brother must come home,” said Lee Siegel, whose brother Keith was taken prisoner by Hamas last year.
But the weekly demonstrations are also characterized by a strong anti-government component: Many protesters are calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call new elections and resign. Some accuse him of prioritizing his political survival over the lives of Israeli hostages.
“The continuation of this war means the murder of the hostages by the Israeli government. The blood is on its hands. Netanyahu has sabotaged this agreement several times in the moment of truth, boasting in his own voice or through an unnamed government official that he will not agree to end this war. Netanyahu must not be allowed to sabotage this agreement as well,” said Snir Daan, who is still held prisoner in Gaza by his cousin Carmel.
Axios reported on Friday that some Washington officials have proposed new wording for some parts of theHostage and Ceasefire Agreement Between Israel and Hamasin an attempt to reach an agreement.
Efforts by Arab mediators have failed to achieve a definitive cessation of hostilities, and Hamas and Israel blame each other for the lack of progress.
Hamas argues that any agreement must include the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gazabut Israel has only agreed in principle to temporary lulls in the fighting, saying that the complete eradication of Hamas is a prerequisite for Israel’s national security.
The Israeli offensive in retaliation for the Hamas incursion into Israel has left the densely populated Gaza Strip almost completely in ruins.
