Protesters say the Israeli government has not done enough to secure the release of their loved ones and accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of derailing talks with new demands.
Protesters stage a somber march through Tel Aviv carrying makeshift coffins covered with Israeli flags to symbolize the hostages that Hamas holds captives in Gaza.
They are angry with the Israeli government, which they say has not done enough to achievea ceasefireand secure the release of their loved ones. “Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, sentenced Carmel, my cousin, to death,” said Gil Dickmann, cousin of Carmel Gat, whose body was recovered by the Israeli military in Gaza on Saturday. “She was there in Gaza for 327 days, in captivity. There were 327 opportunities to bring her back.”
LCeasefire talks between Israel and Hamas They have been limping along for weeks and both sides accuse each other of the lack of progress. USA states that it is developing a new ceasefire agreement proposal and hostage release in hopes of ending this nearly 11-month war.
Las Netanyahu’s statements on Wednesday They further complicate the already fragile negotiations. He demanded that Israel maintain open control of the Gaza border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphia Corridor by Israel and Saladin Corridor by Palestine. Israeli troops had discovered dozens of tunnels under the border.
The issue of Israeli control of the 14-kilometer-long and 100-meter-wide strip of land it seized in May has become a central obstacle in the talks. Hamas has demanded Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza in it truce agreement in several phases.
Egypt, mediator in the talks along with the United States and Qatar, has also demanded a specific deadline for Israeli troops to leave the Philadelphia corridor. And in angry public statements on Thursday, hostages’ families accused Netanyahu of derailing ceasefire talks and potentially sacrificing their families.
The Hamas-led Ministry of Health claims that More than 40,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since fighting began on October 7, but does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Across the border, the death toll in Israel rises to more than 1,100 people. Around 250 were kidnapped by Hamas in its raid into Israel. More than 100 were freed during a temporary lull in fighting in November and Israeli authorities believe about 70 are still alive in Gaza.
