Thousands of Israelis rallied in central Tel Aviv, calling on the government to end the war on Gaza and secure the immediate release of Israeli captives held in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that in Tel Aviv, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli campaign group, held its weekly rally Saturday in “Hostages Square”, while another demonstration by families of captives is taking place outside the Israeli military headquarters.
A separate antigovernment protest also occurred at Habima Square in Tel Aviv.
The Times of Israel reported that Shai Mozes, whose parents were held captive and released in separate exchange deals, told the crowd at the protest in Habima Square that Israel’s “real enemy is not Hamas, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is destroying Israel as a Jewish and democratic state”.
Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, Jordan, said that “family members of Israeli captives still held in Gaza say that Netanyahu is still prolonging the war for personal and political gain, and that he’s the one who’s not willing to compromise when it comes to any sort of cease fire deal”.
“There are still 59 captives held in Gaza, 35 of whom Israeli officials say are confirmed dead, and 21 that are presumed alive, and three whose fate is still unknown”, she said.
“Israeli officials say that they are going to be expanding their operations in Gaza and not heading toward any sort of ceasefire deal just yet, saying that the best way to bring about the release of those captives is through military means, something that the family members of captives and the larger portion of Israeli society do not agree with” she said.
After Netanyahu announced an expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip on Monday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticised the move in a statement, saying the plan is “sacrificing” those still held in the Palestinian territory.
Haaretz also reported that protests were planned in other cities, including Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheba, as well as at dozens of other sites and intersections across Israel.
Hamas releases video of two Israeli captives alive in Gaza
Hamas’s armed wing released a video on Saturday showing two Israeli captives alive in the Gaza Strip, with one of the two men calling to end the 19-month-long war.
Israeli media identified the pair in the undated video as Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Haim Ohana.
The three-minute video released by Hamas’s Qassam Brigades shows one of the captives, identified by media as 36-year-old Bohbot, visibly weak and lying on the floor wrapped in a blanket.
Ohana, 24, speaks in Hebrew in the video, urging the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of all remaining captives.
Bohbot and Ohana were both abducted by Palestinian fighters from the site of a music festival during Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023.
