2023-11-04 23:32:24
A demonstration by the families and supporters of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas brought together several thousand people in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening demanding more efforts from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to free them, AFP journalists noted.
Nearly a month after the deadly attacks by the Palestinian Islamist movement against Israel on October 7, several hundred people also demonstrated in Jerusalem to demand the resignation of Mr. Netanyahu, whom they consider “responsible and guilty” for failures in management. from the country.
The attacks caused the deaths of 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and at least 240 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. In the Gaza Strip, which has since been relentlessly shelled by the Israeli army, nearly 9,500 people, mainly civilians, were killed according to the Hamas health ministry.
“The families of the hostages and the missing will not return home until all the hostages are at home,” says the Forum of Families of the Hostages and the Missing, which called for the rally in Tel Aviv, in front of the Ministry of Defense .
“I expect and demand that my government change its approach,” said Hadas Kalderon, whose five members of his family were kidnapped.
“Every day I wake up to another day of war. A war for the lives of my children,” Ms. Kalderon said.
Participants said they were determined to camp in front of the ministry until the hostages returned.
In the afternoon, a government member was booed during a meeting with families in Tel Aviv, according to Channel 12 footage.
International pressure is growing on the Israeli government to accept a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, but the hostages’ relatives are making their release a sine qua non condition.
In Jerusalem, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Prime Minister’s residence, shouting “Resign now” and “October 7, responsible and guilty.”
“After a month of mourning, this is the largest demonstration against Netanyahu,” Yoev Lotem, a 64-year-old participant, told AFP.
Others wore T-shirts printed with the Prime Minister’s face stained with blood or stickers calling him “Crime Minister”.
“We want a vote to get rid of Netanyahu. I hope that the demonstrations will continue and grow,” Netta Tzin, 39, told AFP, feeling “betrayed” by the Prime’s action. minister.
The attacks of October 7 further weakened Benjamin Netanyahu, who holds the record for longevity as Prime Minister in Israel and had already been facing massive protests against his judicial reform for several months.
published on November 4 at 10:32 p.m., AFP
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