Jerusalem, Jan 20 (EFE).- Thousands of people protested in Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel on Saturday calling for the Israeli government reach a hostage release agreement, and for the resignation of leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
Protesters during a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’Äôs government in Habima square in Tel Aviv, Israel , 20 January 2023. EFE/EPA/ABIR SULTAN
In central Tel Aviv, tens of thousands of people turned out to support the relatives of hostages in Gaza, saying that “time has run out, time for an agreement,” after 106 days since the war broke out on Oct. 7, according to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum.
At the same time, there were demonstrations in places such as Jerusalem and the town of Cesaria, where relatives of the hostages have camped in front of Netanyahu’s private residence since Saturday, demanding the prime minister change policy in Gaza and achieve the freedom of their loved ones.
In addition, many also demanded the calling of elections, given the loss of confidence in the government, while the war with Hamas in Gaza continues and voices critical of the management of the conflict grow.
Among Netanyahu’s critics there are many who believe that the prime minister wants to prolong the war for his own political survival and to avoid scrutiny for not having prevented the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that started the war and led to some 1,200 deaths in Israel and 240 hostages taken to Gaza. Of these, 110 have been released, most during a week-long truce in late November between Israel and Hamas.
All in all, the discomfort of the hostages’ families with Netanyahu increases while he insists that military pressure is the appropriate way to achieve their release. This has not convinced many sectors, amid the deaths of some captives, three of them even killed by the Israeli Army in December.
Since the start of the war, the Israeli government has made it a priority to completely eradicate Hamas from Gaza and free the captives. However, according to sources from senior Army officials cited Sunday by the New York Times, achieving both objectives at the same time are incompatible, and if the offensive in Gaza continues with the same intensity, it will probably end the lives of the captives. EFE
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