Hundreds of protesters in Tel Aviv on Saturday demanded an immediate agreement to release Israeli hostages still held by the Islamist movement Hamas.
The protest, which saw protesters hold up signs with the names and photos of many of the hostages held by Hamas in front of Israel’s Ministry of Defense, after the army announced on Friday that it had accidentally killed three hostages.
One poster read: “Every day a hostage dies,” while an Israeli flag on the street was painted with red paint, drawing blood.
Following news that Israel killed three prisoners in Shujaiya, prisoners’ families and supporters stage an emergency protest outside the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, demanding that Netanyahu immediately strike a deal with Hamas.
“Now everyone!”
“Today we learned what happens when there is no deal”… pic.twitter.com/FzeqUXl9IJ
-Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) December 15, 2023
“The only way to release the hostages alive is through negotiations,” said Motti Direktor, a 66-year-old protester.
“We are here after a shocking night and I am terrified. We demand an agreement now,” said Merav Svirsky, whose brother Itay is being held hostage in Gaza.
Shortly after the military’s announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented “an unbearable tragedy” that “plunged the entire State of Israel into mourning,” while the White House in Washington called it a “tragic mistake.”
The bloody attack by Hamas commandos on Israeli territory on October 7 captured around 240 people, leaving around 1,200 dead, most of them civilians, according to authorities.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to “destroy” Hamas and launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip that left 18,800 dead, said the Health Ministry of Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007 and is controlled by the EU, the United States and Israel is considered terrorist. .
In late November, a ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar allowed a week-long pause in fighting, the release of a hundred Hamas hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, as well as the delivery of emergency humanitarian aid.
Following the announcement of the death of the three hostages, the Axios portal reported that the head of the Mossad (Israeli external secret services), David Barnea, is expected to meet with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed ben Abdelrahmane Al- Thani. This was reported by the France-Presse news agency.
The meeting in Europe should focus on the release of hostages, Axios continued, without specifying the location of the meeting.
Israeli authorities open an investigation into the deaths of two Palestinians in the West Bank
Israeli authorities have now announced the opening of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two Palestinians in the West Bank, suspected of being killed by Israeli forces.
The opening of this investigation comes after an Israeli human rights organization published videos showing Israeli forces killing two men during a military attack on a refugee camp in the West Bank.
The complaint came from the human rights organization B’Tselem.
Security camera footage shows two Israeli military vehicles pursuing a group of Palestinians in the Faraa refugee camp in the northern West Bank.
The footage shows a man, who appears to be holding a red can, being shot dead by soldiers.
Other officers stand by, watching and pushing back shocked onlookers.
These incidents come at a time when tensions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have worsened as a result of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Source: DN
