Family members of Israeli captives held captive by Hamas have invaded a parliamentary hearing in West Jerusalem, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do more to guarantee their loved ones’ release.
According to Reuters, a group of about 20 individuals rushed past security to attend the hearing at the Knesset on Monday, with some holding images of their lost relatives.
“You will not sit here while our children die,” some protesters yelled, as security personnel restrained some of the crowd’s most furious members.
Netanyahu was not present at the meeting, but the protest came a day after demonstrators set up tents outside his private residence, demanding that he strike a deal with Hamas to secure the release of the captives still in Gaza.
Hamas militants took around 250 people hostage during their October 7 assault on Israel. Of those, 105 were freed in a Qatari-negotiated deal in November, while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed the deaths of 31, three of whom it admitted were killed in a friendly-fire incident. Hamas claims that more hostages have been killed by Israeli bombs, but the IDF denies this.
Israeli authorities believe that around 132 hostages remain in Gaza, a tally that counts both the living and those presumed dead. Netanyahu, however, has rejected a Hamas proposal to release the captives in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, and guarantees that the militant group remains the governing authority in the enclave.
“I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas,” Netanyahu stated on Sunday. “If we accept this, we will be unable to ensure the safety of our citizens.” We will not be able to securely transport evacuees home, and the next October 7 will be a question of time,” he continued.
Furthermore, the Israeli leader rejected the concept of Palestinian independence, vowing to maintain “full Israeli security control over the entire area in the west of Jordan,” which includes Gaza and the West Bank.
Netanyahu’s refusal to accept Hamas’ criteria “means there is no chance for the return of the captives,” a spokesman for the terrorist group said Sunday night.
Despite rising pressure from the captives’ families, as well as US and EU leaders, Netanyahu has maintained his commitment to continue Israel’s military campaign in Gaza until “total victory” is accomplished. However, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the IDF has killed only 20%-30% of the group’s fighters in 14 weeks of warfare, citing American intelligence estimates. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli forces killed around 25,000 Palestinians during this time period, with women and children accounting for roughly two-thirds of the total.
