Jerusalem Demonstrators Gather Outside Netanyahu’s Residence, Warn Gaza City Operation May Endanger Hostages
Tens of thousands of Israelis participated in rallies in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Saturday evening, amid growing anxiety for the fate of the hostages who have been held in Gaza for more than 700 days. The protests followed warnings from families who said their loved ones were in “immediate danger.”
As in previous weeks, demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv, but this weekend the focus shifted to Jerusalem, where protesters rallied outside the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced that it was moving its campaign closer to the homes and offices of government leaders in an effort to push for a ceasefire and an agreement that would bring the captives home.
Anat Angrest, the mother of 21-year-old IDF soldier Matan Angrest, said she received a call on Friday night informing her that her son’s life was at risk. “Prime Minister @Netanyahu, did you sleep last night, because I spent the 700th night [that the hostages are in captivity] in sleeplessness,” she wrote on X. “My Matan’s life is in immediate danger, that’s what I was informed by telephone last night.” She vowed to join the Jerusalem rally, adding, “This evening I will be at the entrance to your house, together with masses of Israeli citizens. It will be loud, just like how loud it is for Matan [in Gaza] with the sounds of explosions. You won’t have any more quiet from me, it’s over.”
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Matan Angrest was abducted from an IDF tank on October 7, 2023, and is believed to be seriously wounded.
On Friday, Hamas released a propaganda video featuring hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel, although the video footage of Ohel was not shown after his family gave permission to release only a still photo.
Late last week, Netanyahu dismissed as “spin” Hamas’s statement that it would agree to a hostage release deal if it coincided with the end of the war.
The rallies come as Israel prepares for a new operation in Gaza City. Families fear such action could place their loved ones in further peril, either from the fighting itself or at the hands of their captors.
