Thousands are protesting again in Israel for a hostage deal that will allow the return of the 101 people abducted by Hamas to the Gaza Strip. After 344 days, time is running out.
In view of the lack of progress in the indirect negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of hostages held by the radical Islamist Hamas, thousands of people in Israel have once again taken to the streets. There were demonstrations in several cities.
In Tel Aviv, a half-minute audio recording of an Israeli soldier was played in the evening. It was recently found in the Gaza Strip and was the first sign of life for the family. In the recording, the soldier asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an exchange of Hamas prisoners in Israeli prisons in return for Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.
The demonstration in Tel Aviv was held under the motto: “We will not abandon them – we will not give up.” On posters, demonstrators demanded, for example, “Bring them back home,” while another poster read: “Get them out of hell.” 101 of the hostages kidnapped in the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 are still in the Gaza Strip. It is unknown how many of them are still alive, almost a year after their abduction.
Michal Lobanov, the widow of one of the hostages killed two weeks ago, spoke of her shock after the release of a military video about the living conditions in the tunnel near Rafah where the bodies of the six dead hostages were found. “It was possible to save them through an agreement,” she stressed. She does not want pity, but demands “that you do everything so that the end is different for other women, for the hostages.”
The indirect negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of the hostages – in which Egypt, the USA and the Gulf state of Qatar are the main mediators – are currently at a standstill.
Palestinians: Eleven dead in air strike in Gaza
Meanwhile, at least eleven people were killed in an air strike in the city of Gaza attributed to Israel, according to Palestinian sources. Among the victims were four minors and three women, hospital doctors in Gaza said. The missile hit the house of a family in the Tuffah district. The information could not initially be independently verified. The Israeli military did not initially comment on the incident.
Attack on Hezbollah targets deep in Lebanon
According to an army spokesman, the Israeli Air Force also attacked several weapons depots belonging to the Hezbollah militia in the interior of Lebanon in the evening. The attacks were carried out in the Bekaa Valley and the city of Baalbek, about 140 kilometers from the border, it was said. The area is considered a Hezbollah stronghold. Hezbollah weapons depots were also attacked in seven different locations in southern Lebanon.
Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Islamist Hamas almost a year ago, there have been almost daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in the border region between the two countries. There have been deaths on both sides – most of them were members of Hezbollah. Hezbollah says it is acting in solidarity with Hamas.
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre with more than 1,200 deaths that terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other groups carried out in Israel on October 7. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 41,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
Activist killed in West Bank buried in Türkiye
Meanwhile, Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was killed by gunfire from Israeli soldiers during a protest against a settlement outpost more than a week ago, was buried in Turkey.
A few days ago, the Israeli army admitted that, according to current findings, the woman had been shot accidentally. According to Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, Turkey has launched its own investigation into the activist’s death. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has sharply criticized Israel in connection with Eygi’s death.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
