Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to maintain preventing in Gaza, at the same time as anguish over the Israeli army’s unintended killings of three hostages within the enclave raised new questions on how his authorities is prosecuting the conflict.
Mr. Netanyahu started a authorities assembly in Tel Aviv on Sunday by studying from a letter that he mentioned got here from households of Israeli troopers killed preventing in Gaza.
“You may have a mandate to battle; you wouldn’t have a mandate to cease within the center,” Mr. Netanyahu learn in Hebrew, in accordance with an announcement from his workplace.
As a “testomony” to the fallen troopers, Mr. Netanyahu mentioned, Israel’s army would “battle to the top.”
The letter seems at odds with the message coming from family members of Israelis nonetheless held hostage in Gaza, a lot of whom have taken to the streets to demand a cease-fire in order that their family members can return dwelling.
Weekly rallies in help of the hostages have drawn 1000’s of protesters to Tel Aviv to show exterior the Israeli army’s foremost headquarters. Information that the Israeli army had mistakenly killed the three hostages on Friday added a way of urgency to the rally on Saturday night time.
A whole bunch of protesters gathered on a central boulevard in Tel Aviv to show in opposition to the federal government earlier than marching via the town to hitch the hostage rally.
“We see the present method will not be working,” mentioned Deborah Galili, a protester from Tel Aviv. She mentioned she needed Mr. Netanyahu’s authorities to pursue a peaceable decision that will deliver the hostages dwelling and finish the preventing.
A weeklong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas final month noticed 105 Israeli hostages freed in trade for the discharge of 240 Palestinians from Israeli jails earlier than negotiations broke down and the conflict resumed on Dec. 1.
“Since then, Ms. Galili mentioned, “we’re not seeing extra hostages coming dwelling alive.” A number of hostages have been confirmed lifeless by Israel’s army in current weeks.
Some protesters mentioned that they believed the unintended killings of the three hostages by Israel’s army would mark a turning level in individuals’s willingness to publicly criticize Mr. Netanyahu and the best way his authorities is dealing with the conflict.
Ms. Galili was one among them.
“Mr. Netanyahu has not taken duty,” she mentioned, including that he must “step up” and take duty or step down.
Efi Toledano, one other demonstrator from Tel Aviv, had protested Mr. Netanyahu’s authorities earlier than the conflict. Whereas he stopped in wake of the Oct. 7 assault on Israel, the deaths of the hostages prompted him to renew protesting on Saturday night time.
“We have been taught that when there’s a conflict, we’re all to be quiet and help the troopers,” mentioned Mr. Toledano. He mentioned that the deaths of hostages advised that Mr. Netanyahu is likely to be fascinated by persevering with the conflict even on the expense of hostages’ lives. Due to that, he added, “We’re returning to sound our voice and battle in opposition to this authorities.”
