JERUSALEM: The families of Israeli hostages and thousands of their supporters arrived in Jerusalem on Saturday (Nov 18) at the end of a five-day march to confront the government over the plight of those taken captive by Hamas.
The estimated 20,000 marchers, including well-wishers who joined the procession along the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, want to put pressure on Israel’s government “to do everything they can to bring the hostages back,” said Noam Alon, 25, clutching a photograph of his abducted girlfriend, Inbar.
“We are expecting them to meet with us, we are expecting them to tell us how they are going to do it,” he said. “We cannot wait any longer, so we are demand(ing) them to do that now, to pay any price to bring the hostages back.”
Around 240 Israelis – ranging from babies to grandparents – are believed to be in the Gaza Strip after being taken hostage by the militant faction during an Oct 7 cross-border raid on southern Israeli villages and army bases in which 1,200 people were killed.
Many relatives and friends of the missing fear they will come to harm in Israeli attacks on Gaza designed to destroy Hamas. The government says the offensive improves the chances of recovering hostages, perhaps via a mediated prisoner exchange.
But many Israelis blame their government for being blindsided by the Hamas assault.
Among those who marched to Jerusalem was centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid, who has been mostly supportive of the war but has demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Miki Zohar, a member of Netanyahu’s cabinet and party, was heckled on Friday when he visited the marchers at a rest stop.
Source: CNA
