‘Throw the extremists out’: Families of hostages protest inside Knesset
Protests against the government's failure to free the remaining 136 hostages from Gaza have grown in recent weeks.
Israeli families of hostages in Gaza protested both inside and outside Knesset on Monday, demanding an immediate deal to release their loved ones.
“Throw these extremists out so we can get our hostages back” yelled one relative of a hostage as he and a few others interrupted a meeting in the Finance Committee.
Other family members hurled criticism at the government for allowing humanitarian aid and fuel in to Gaza while hostages are starving. “Is it reasonable that 260 trucks of flour are entering Gaza now and my brother is eating nothing?” asked a woman whose brother is held captive in Gaza.
The families said that the hostages lives are in danger, both due to the harsh conditions they are kept in and because they risk getting killed by either terrorists or failed rescue attempts by Israeli soldiers.
Knesset ushers eventually removed some families from the committee hearing as they marched in. Outside Knesset, dozens of protesters blocked a road early in the morning, demanding fresh elections.
Several of the protesters were forcibly removed by police, including a man whose brother was killed by Hamas on October 7.
“Throw these extremists out of here so we can get the hostages back.” Families of hostages and victims of October 7 rage against Netanyahu’s government inside parliament, while some demonstrate outside. They demand elections and immediate deal to bring hostages back from Gaza.… pic.twitter.com/hnhsCfyDWY
— Jotam Confino (@mrconfino) January 22, 2024
Protests against the government’s failure to free the remaining 136 hostages have grown in recent weeks, with mass rallies at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv each Saturday.
Others have set up camps outside Prime Minister Netanyahu’s residence, refusing to leave until the hostages are brought back.
Netanyahu met with representatives of the hostages’ families and told them that “contrary to what is being said – there is no genuine proposal by Hamas, this is not true. I will say this as clearly as I can because there are so many incorrect items that are certainly causing you pain. On the other hand, there is our initiative, which I will not detail.”
Hostage families break into meeting in Knesset as they desperately demand that the Israeli government does more to bring their relatives home from #Gaza pic.twitter.com/PY4m0uZeJu
— sebastian usher (@sebusher) January 22, 2024
Hostages have complained for months about being kept in the dark by the government, while traveling to Europe and the US to put pressure on other governments.
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