Protesters say the Israeli government hasn’t done enough to secure the release of their loved ones and accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of potentially derailing talks with new demands.
Protesters have staged a sombre march through Tel Aviv carrying makeshift coffins draped with Israeli flags to symbolise the hostages still being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
They’re angry with the Israeli government who they say hasn’t done enough to strike a ceasefire and secure the release of their loved ones.
“Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, sentenced Carmel, my cousin, to death,” said Gil Dickmann, the cousin of Carmel Gat whose body was recovered by the Israeli military from Gaza on Saturday.
“327 days she was there in Gaza, in captivity. There were 327 opportunities to bring her back.”
Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have limped along for weeks with both sides accusing the other for the lack of progress.
The United States says it is developing a new proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in hopes of ending the nearly 11-month-old war.
A further complication to the already fragile negotiations is Netanyahu’s comments on Wednesday.
He demanded that Israel keep open-ended control of Gaza’s border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor.
“Gaza must be demilitarized and this can only happen if the Philadelphi Corridor remains under firm control,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday, claiming Israeli troops had discovered dozens of tunnels under the border.
The question of Israeli control of the narrow strip of land which it seized in May, has become a central obstacle in the talks.
Hamas has demanded an eventual full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in the multi-phase truce deal.
Egypt, a mediator in the talks along with the US and Qatar, has also demanded a concrete timeline for Israeli troops to leave the Philadelphi Corridor.
And in angry public statements on Thursday, the families of hostages accused Netanyahu of derailing ceasefire talks and potentially sacrificing their relatives.
The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since fighting started on October 7 but it doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Over the border, the death toll in Israel stands at more than 1,100. Around 250 were abducted by Hamas in their incursion into Israel. More than 100 were released during a temporary pause in fighting in November and Israeli authorities believe around 70 are still alive in Gaza.
