Israel faces a major blow regarding hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Six hostages' bodies were recovered from a tunnel in southern Gaza. All the bodies have been identified. The IDF stated that these hostages were brutally killed before the military could rescue them. U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his disappointment over the hostages' deaths, voicing his anger.
The IDF identified the victims as Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Aiden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino. Their bodies were brought back to Israel. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari mentioned that days earlier, a member of the Bedouin community in southern Israel, Farhan Alkadi, had been rescued about a kilometer away.
Subsequently, soldiers were instructed to remain highly vigilant. However, no precise information was available about the hostages. Continuous protests are being held for the release of the hostages, and the Netanyahu government faces accusations of inadequate action. Since Hamas's attack on October 7th, about 250 hostages were taken by Hamas. The death of these six hostages has further fueled public outrage.
This is why massive protests erupted once again on the streets of Tel Aviv. Thousands carrying banners and posters took to the streets, chanting slogans against Benjamin Netanyahu's government. During the protests, clashes with the police occurred, resulting in several agitators being detained by the authorities.
The ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict, which started in October last year, has claimed many innocent lives. This has compelled Israelis, desperate for the release of hostages, to take to the streets in protest against Netanyahu's government. Protesters claim the government is solely focusing on controlling the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border.
Source: aajtak
There are accusations that Netanyahu's government is not taking essential steps for the hostages' release. Omri, the brother of a hostage, Idan Shtivi, stated, "Israeli military generals who know the Philadelphi corridor well openly declare that it's nonsense. Netanyahu does not want to negotiate for the hostages' release. Hence, we are demanding his resignation."
For several months, the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt have been attempting to mediate a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. However, Hamas insists on fully withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza and demands a permanent ceasefire. Meanwhile, Israel maintains that it will only stop the war after completely eliminating Hamas. These decisions by Netanyahu have deeply angered Israelis.
People, showing their anger, are urging the government to negotiate swiftly to bring the hostages home safely. This war, ongoing for around 11 months, has killed approximately 1200 people and resulted in nearly 250 hostages. In Gaza, over 40,000 Palestinians have died, and almost 90% of the 2.3 million population have been forced to leave their homes.
