Tel aviv: Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Israel late Saturday, in favour of the return of the 13 dead hostages whose bodies are still in the Gaza Strip. In Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and other places, people also protested against the right-wing religious government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Haaretz newspaper reported. The largest rally in the evening took place in the centre of the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv.
According to Ghana News Agency, the organizers, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, said there were tens of thousands of participants. According to the group, Anat Angrest, the mother of the recently released soldier Matan Angrest, spoke about her son's scars. 'His body bears scars of courage, scars that as a mother, I find difficult to look at and to imagine what he went through. He still doesn't tell me everything; he protects me,' she explained. 'We will not rest until everyone is back, right down to the last hostage,' Anat Angrest stressed.
The Palestinian militant organization Hamas have so far handed over 15 dead hostages, as part of the ceasefire agreement. According to Haaretz, people at the nationwide rallies also spoke out in favour of a state investigation into the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. The Israeli government has rejected such a commission of enquiry. Critics accuse Netanyahu and his right-wing government coalition of not taking personal responsibility for the political and military failures during the Hamas terror attack.
According to a recent poll, 52% of Israelis demand that Netanyahu should not stand again in the next elections, while 41% think he should be able to. US President Donald Trump also stepped up pressure on Hamas, to quickly hand over the bodies of the remaining deceased hostages. 'Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action,' he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He added that while some bodies are difficult to reach, others could be returned immediately, yet Hamas has not done so. 'Perhaps it has to do with their disarming,' Trump said, without elaborating. He stressed that his promise that both sides would be treated fairly applies only if Hamas fulfils its obligations. 'Let's see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely,' he said.
