‘Throw the extremists out’: Families of hostages protest inside Knesset

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.

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.”

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.