Families of Israeli captives to escalate protests, demand gov. action
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The families announce a week-long protest outside the Security Ministry demanding a government initiative to bring back the captives held by the Resistance in Gaza.
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Families and friends of Israeli captives held by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza during a protest outside the Israeli Security Ministry in "Tel Aviv" demanding a prisoner exchange deal, on December 15, 2023 (AFP)
The families of Israeli captives held by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza are escalating their protests and demanding a government initiative to secure their release, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Monday.
The newspaper cited a sibling of one of the captives as saying that the families will protest outside the Security Ministry throughout the week and wait for the ministers.
"I know they will try to avoid us through various means so they don't have to look into our eyes because they feel responsible and guilty."
Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the captives' relatives set up tents on Saturday at the main entrance to the Ministry and announced that they would focus all their protest activities there until the cabinet presents a plan for bringing back the captives held by the Resistance in Gaza.
On Saturday, the protesters sent a message to the Israeli occupation government, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding action on a new prisoner exchange deal with the Resistance.
In their statement, they said, "With every critical minute, the lives of our prisoners are in real danger, and we only receive them one after the other as corpses... We only receive dead bodies, not responses, only dead prisoners."
Russian roulette
In a report published on Sunday, The New York Times said the Israeli occupation government might be forced to change its war strategy in Gaza after the "wrongful" killing of three Israeli captives by occupation forces last week.
Developments in Gaza, most recently the "friendly fire" incident involving the three captives and the significant Resistance ambush in al-Shujaiya, which saw the killing of senior Golani officers, have led to a sense of frustration among settlers.
These events prompted Israeli settlers, the likes of Ruby Chen, whose son was taken captive by the Palestinian Resistance during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, to say they were in favor of the release of Palestinian prisoners, even those "charged with murder," if it meant the release of their children.
Read more: Injured IOF soldiers: Underreported realities exposed by Israeli media
Chen, according to the NYT, said the families of the captives felt like they were trapped in a game of Russian roulette. "We have no time to lose - should we wait for another 10 hostages in coffins?"
Earlier, Israeli media reported on increasing divisions between the families of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza and the captives' families.
While relatives of the troops who were killed during confrontations with the Resistance are advocating for the continuation of the war, families of the Gaza captives are opposing it, expressing concerns about their well-being.
