Families of Israeli hostages stage protest at Netanyahu residence

Relatives of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip demanded an end to the Gaza war and an agreement for the release of the hostages at a demonstration held in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of people joined a mass rally in the evening, called by the mothers of two soldiers held captive in the Gaza Strip.

Amid ongoing protests, Netanyahu accused the demonstrators of crossing a line by blocking roads and “threatening to murder me – the Prime Minister, and my family – on a daily basis,” he claimed in a statement.

“You speak and act like fascists,” said Netanyahu. He accused the police of failing to maintain order thus allowing an escalation.

Mothers of hostages feel abandoned

Anat Angrest, the mother of soldier Matan Angrest who was abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7 2023, responded to Netanyahu’s statement saying she wanted to remind him “that our loved ones are not protected by an army of bodyguards funded by the state treasury. Instead, they are surrounded by an army of terrorists and they are not being rescued.”

Angrest accused the government of betraying their soldiers. “This week we buried the 900th soldier. Now it continues with reservists being called up for their third and fourth deployment to fight in Gaza over my son’s head.”

‘Unbearable situation’ for hostage families

Vicky Cohen, the mother of soldier Nimrod Cohen who was abducted to the coastal strip on October 7 2023, accused the government of abandoning the hostages and their relatives.

“What they are doing to us is a crime,” she said, adding that the situation of the hostages and their families was unbearable.

She urged Netanyahu not to say he was on the side of the hostages and their families. “If you really were, if it meant anything to you, my son would be home,” she told the evening rally.

Israel is planning a further assault on Gaza City but critics say this will endanger the hostages who are still alive. They and opponents of the conscription of tens of thousands of reservists began their protest in Jerusalem in the morning, blocking roads in the city.

Israel believes some 20 of the hostages are still alive.

Netanyahu has ignored the latest proposal for the release of some hostages in exchange for a ceasefire which the Palestinian militant organization Hamas said it has agreed to.