- Tens of thousands demand Gaza hostage agreement in Israel protest
- IDF recovers captive’s body, sparking protests across Israeli cities
- Families of detainees join, condemning government’s hostage policy
In protest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, tens of thousands of Israelis have gathered to demand a Gaza hostage agreement.
Following the recovery of captive Elad Katzir’s body by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), demonstrations broke out in Tel Aviv and other cities.
Local media reported that protesters chanted “elections now” and “Elad, we apologise.”
The police subsequently dispersed the Tel Aviv crowd by force.
In addition to anti-government demonstrators, families of detainees held in Gaza also joined the crowd. Protesters expressed discontent regarding the government’s failure to liberate the approximately 130 detainees held captive in Gaza by Hamas and its allies.
The IDF recovered the remains of Elad Katzir, who was captured and transported to Gaza on October 7 during Hamas’ attacks on southern Israel. This occurred earlier on Saturday. A January-released captivity video depicted him as still alive.
Three months were enough time for Elad Katzir to survive in captivity.” Today, he ought to have been present with us. “Today, he might have been among us,” stated protestor Noam Peri.
The protest in Tel Aviv reportedly attracted 100,000 individuals, although alternative estimations place the attendance at approximately 45,000. The demonstrations represented the most recent in a string of massive anti-government rallies that demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Netanyahu in anger over his inability to liberate the remaining hostages.
A vehicle struck the crowds during the Tel Aviv demonstration, causing five injuries. According to police, the driver was detained.
Several political figures condemned the alleged ramming attack. It was described as “horrific” by Benny Gantz, a war cabinet member.
Six months after the Hamas attacks incited the Gaza conflict, negotiators are scheduled to convene in Cairo on Sunday to achieve an armistice in the violent war.
Some media outlets claim that Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, and Bill Burns, the director of the CIA, will accompany negotiators from Egypt, Israel, and Hamas.
Carmit Palty Katzir, the sister of Mr. Katzir, attributed her brother’s demise to Israeli authorities in a social media post, claiming that he would have survived had they reached a new cease-fire agreement.
This agreement has yet to be finalised because our leadership is deceitful and motivated by political considerations, she wrote on Facebook.
The coalition, the war cabinet, and the prime minister: Please verify in the mirror whether your hands have come into contact with blood.
The October 7 Hamas assaults resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals, the vast majority of whom were civilians.
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Since then, the health ministry, which Hamas manages, has reported that Israel’s offensive in Gaza has claimed the lives of over 33,000 people, the majority of whom are children and women.
253 Israelis and foreigners were captured, according to an Israeli tally, during the Hamas attacks.
An estimated 129 hostages have not been located since their abduction. There are at least 34 presumed deceased. The IDF has recovered twelve bodies.
Israel’s official figure is marginally elevated due to the inclusion of four individuals who were captured as hostages in 2014 and 2015. Two of these individuals have reportedly passed away.
