Family members, friends and supporters of Hamas prisoners marched from Tel Aviv to demand immediate release and government action.
Tens of thousands of protesters have arrived in Jerusalem after a five-day march from Tel Aviv to pressure the Israeli government to immediately release prisoners held by Hamas in Gaza.
An estimated 20,000 protesters, including family and friends of about 240 prisoners, staged a rally outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Saturday. They say the government has ignored their pleas to prioritize bringing their loved ones home.
Protesters marched for hours along the highway connecting the two cities, holding prisoners’ placards that read, “Take them home now.”
They want to put pressure on the government to “do everything to bring back the hostages,” said Noam Alon, 25, holding a photo of his kidnapped girlfriend Inbar.
“We expect them to meet with us, we expect them to tell us how they are going to do it,” he told Portal. “We can’t wait any longer, so we’re in demand [ing] They should do this now and pay any price to bring the hostages back.”
Hours after the march, Netanyahu promised to meet the families on Monday. “We’re going with you, I’m going with you. All of Israel stands with you,” he said at a press conference.
As for the prisoners, he said, “There are a lot of rumors and inaccurate statements.”
“I want to make it clear that no deals have been made yet, but I promise you, as soon as we have something, I will tell you.”
The prisoners were taken during the Palestinian group’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, which also killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Since then, Israel launched a massive air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip, which is under Hamas control, killing more than 12,000 people, mostly civilians.
A spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, said Saturday that they had lost contact with some of the groups responsible for the security of prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
“The fate of the prisoners and those holding them is still unknown after we lost communication with them,” he said.
Many relatives and friends of the missing fear they will be harmed in Israeli attacks on Gaza aimed at destroying Hamas. The government says the offensive improves the chances of recovering prisoners by putting pressure on Hamas.
Among those who marched on Jerusalem was centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid, who largely supported the war but called for Netanyahu’s resignation.
Miki Zohar, a member of Netanyahu’s cabinet and party, was harassed on Friday while visiting protesters at a rest stop.
Family members, friends and supporters of Israelis and other nationalities captured by Hamas on the final leg of its march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on November 18, 2023 [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]Government “doesn’t talk”
Hamas released a video on Monday of the first hostage confirmed to have died in captivity, and previously said others had been killed.
That has fueled concerns among activists and relatives who are calling on the Israeli government to expedite any prisoner exchange and frustration over Netanyahu’s insistence that discretion be used in negotiations brokered by Qatar and Egypt.
“It is impossible that there are 240 people kidnapped and the government – our government – is not talking to them [the relatives], doesn’t tell them what’s going on, what’s on the table, what’s on offer, what the reasons are for and against. Nothing,” activist Stevie Kerem told Portal.
Oliver McTernan, who has worked on hostage negotiations for 20 years, said the families were right to be concerned. The only way to secure the prisoners’ return was a ceasefire long enough to get them safely across the battlefield, he said. Israel has said such a move would simply allow Hamas to rearm.
“I think that every day there is a risk – a risk from bombings, a risk from incursions, whatever – that civilians, Israeli civilians, are dying in Gaza,” McTernan told The Associated Press, adding, that “this should be a risk.” Priority of any government: to ensure their safety and their return to their families.”
A girl carries posters of 27-year-old Eliya Cohen (left) and 10-year-old Ofry Brodutch, both held by Hamas in Gaza [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP]