Relatives and supporters of those abducted in Israel on October 7th are holding weekly protests in memory of the hostages, whose bodies were recovered this week in Gaza and whose plight sparked thousands of outrage at nearby anti-government protests. Activities turned into a solemn wake on Saturday.
The Israeli military announced on Saturday that it had recovered the body of Elad Katzir, 47, in Khan Yunis and repatriated it. The extremist group Islamic Jihad took Katsir from Kibbutz Nir Oz. The Israeli military said he appeared in videos twice while in captivity and died at the hands of his captors in January, but the claims could not be verified.
The news came on the eve of Sunday's six-month anniversary of the outbreak of the war. Thousands of people are expected to gather in Israel for further protests that day.
Esther Bufstab, the mother of Yagev Bufstab, 34, who was taken from Kibbutz Nirim on October 7, spoke at a vigil in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday night. “It's been a nightmare for months,” he said. She further stated that she: “We call on the state to do everything possible to reach an agreement to bring back the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial.'' ” she added.
At nearby Democracy Square, thousands of anti-government demonstrators called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return home the more than 130 hostages still missing since October 7.
According to a police statement on Telegram, as the protest was coming to an end, a car drove through the crowd of demonstrators in violation of police orders, injuring several people. It's unclear why the driver drove his car into the crowd, but he ignored police orders to stop and videos posted on social media showed passengers inside the car shouting at protesters. was.
“'Overthrow Hamas' and 'absolute victory' are meaningless slogans,” said agricultural expert Eran Helkevi, 66. “There is real pressure to bring back the remaining hostages. If we don't, we will never recover as a society.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Sarit Pearl, 65, a military veteran and mother of three combat soldiers who are all on their second round of deployment. She impeached Mr. Netanyahu and called for new elections to replace him.
“I'm here today because there are three things that need to be done right now: impeach, bring back all the hostages, and hold an election,” she said.
Mr. Pearl criticized Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Netanyahu has faced growing calls for elections, and frequent protests have been held at his home in Jerusalem, including earlier this week.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has never functioned as prime minister,” Pearl said. “But now it appears that he is acting deliberately to destroy any chance of reaching an agreement, and nothing will improve in Israel's situation as long as he remains in that position.”
Sahar Shapira, 42, said hostage Katsir's death highlighted the need for an urgent agreement to return the hostages. “It's clear to people that the hostages will not survive,” she said, and she predicted that “many others like him will come back in the same way.”
In a 2009 interview with The New York Times, after a Palestinian rocket attack began Israel's deadly three-week offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Katsir told reporters he had a nagging feeling . “I don't feel like victory,” Katsir said at the time, when the fighting ended in an uneasy ceasefire. “I still don't feel safe.”
News of Katzir's death heightened tensions in Israel. In a statement announcing Saturday's vigil, representatives of the hostages' relatives called on Israelis to gather in Jerusalem on Sunday for a rally to commemorate the six-month war.
Families of abductees organize rallies every Saturday in a public square near the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv to pressure the government to reach an agreement for the return of their relatives. Rallies are often combined with anti-government protests.
Israeli officials will meet with representatives from Egypt, Qatar and the United States in Cairo on Sunday to restart talks over the hostage deal, which has stalled for months. President Biden is pressuring the participants to reach an agreement that would lead to an “immediate ceasefire” and the return of hostages.
Noam, daughter of Chaim Peri, 79, taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz and whom Hamas claimed was among five hostages killed in Gaza in an Israeli airstrike in December.・Mr. Peri demanded action from the Israeli government. “Mr. Prime Minister, ministers, this is your responsibility!” she said, adding, “Don't come back without a deal!”