Families of Israeli hostages demand rescue plan from Netanyahu

The headquarters of the Israeli Defense Ministry used to tower over Tel Aviv as a symbol of power, but for the families of the hostages now gathered beneath it, the building has become a center of suffering, writes the British publication The Observer.

Relatives of the hostages filled the square in front of the 17-story Matkal Tower on Saturday, demanding that the state created to protect Jews honor the pact by doing everything possible to rescue captives in Gaza.

The escalating Israeli attack on the Palestinian enclave has raised fears that their loved ones could be harmed by tank shells and aerial bombs or reprisals by Hamas militants, and raised vexing questions: Has the Israeli government given up all hope of negotiating liberation? What is the army’s strategy to free the hostages? Is there any strategy at all?

“Is there any plan? We do not know. This is what we want to find out,” says Chaim Rubinstein, a spokesman for the Forum for Families of Hostages and Missing Persons.

“We also want to know the significance of what happened last night,” Rubinstein said, referring to the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza and the bombing of 150 underground Hamas sites, including tunnels that may hold some of the 229 hostages who, According to Israel, they are in Gaza.

After three weeks of complaints that the government had failed to inform relatives about the crisis or even meet with them, the protest put pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to meet with them on Saturday night.

It was unclear what assurances he could offer as there appears to be no plan to negotiate a prisoner swap or halt the offensive, which Hamas says is a condition of any release, The Observer noted.

“We attacked above ground and underground, we attacked terrorists of all stripes, everywhere,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a video message. “The instructions to our forces are clear: the operation will continue until further orders are received.”

For the families who stood outside the Ministry of Defense with photographs of relatives or tied yellow tape around benches and trees, the words were an ominous statement. Hamas said last week that the bombing killed about 50 hostages.

“Every day the hostages are not released, they are in danger,” said Ze’ev Sherman, whose 19-year-old nephew Ron Sherman was kidnapped in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The government abandoned the Israelis who lived near Gaza that day, and now it risks abandoning the survivors who were captured, Sherman said. – Why this offensive? There’s no hurry. Hamas was not going to go anywhere.” He advocated exchanging hostages for thousands of Palestinians, including Hamas militants, in Israeli prisons: “All prisoners for all hostages.”

Shelley, 62, who held a sign that read “Life Matters,” echoed that sentiment. “The government owes us a debt after they failed to protect us. We must focus on the hostages – we must not eat or sleep until we get them home. First the hostages. There is always time for war.”

Shirley, 56, is pleading with the Netanyahu administration to prioritize the prisoners. “This is the second Holocaust. Who knows what’s happening to our children?” According to her, the stronger the shelling of Gaza, the more worried the relatives are. – Three weeks have passed already. We can’t take it anymore.”

For Yarid Shabibi, the complexities of the conflict have dissolved into a burning desire to return her 26-year-old cousin Noa Argamani, whose abduction on a motorcycle was filmed and widely shared online. “We just want her to be here, that’s all.”

The families and their supporters viewed the Palestinians differently. “We want the Palestinians to have a state. We are afraid for the Gazans, we don’t want them to suffer,” said 62-year-old Dalia.

Ayelet Samerano, whose son Jonathan was kidnapped, trembled as she said this: “My son, my little son. These animals took him. They killed children in front of their parents and killed parents in front of their children. And when I wake up, it becomes a nightmare again.”

The woman accused the government of leaving relatives in an information vacuum, but expressed confidence in the decision to attack Gaza. “I’m not worried about my army. My army knows exactly what to do.”

The Forum for Families of Hostages and Missing Persons is a general name for groups of relatives that are organized through messengers.

In a strongly worded statement early Saturday, Netanyahu and his cabinet were accused of leaving families in the dark as they escalated operations in Gaza. “This night was the worst of all nights,” the statement said. – Families are concerned about the fate of their loved ones and are waiting for explanations. Every minute that passes seems like an eternity.”

The forum did not call for a ceasefire or exchange of prisoners. “We appeal to the army and government to return our people,” said Rubinstein, the spokesman. “We don’t tell them how to do it. We simply say, “Tell us what your plan is.”