Marking 100 days after the hostages /were abducted into Gaza during Hamas' terror attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, an estimated 120,000 people joined the commencement of a 24-hour march in Tel Aviv on Saturday, Jan. 13.
According to organizers, this would be one of the biggest rallies in Israel this past year, when there were frequent large-scale protests against the government's contentious proposal to reform the judicial system.
Loved Ones' Cry for Help
In a report by The Times of Israel, the rally started after sunset in central Tel Aviv, dubbed "Hostages Square." It featured speakers such as Dorit Beinisch, former president of the Israel Supreme Court, US ambassador Jack Lew, and relatives of the approximately 132 hostages still in Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron was also among the speakers.
In their addresses to the gathering, relatives of the hostages conveyed a sense of urgency, saying their loved ones' lives were in danger. They expressed deep frustration with the government for what they perceived as its failure to rescue the 240 people abducted into Gaza by Palestinian terrorists in October last year.
As negotiations progressed toward the first handover of medications to the captives, the demonstration took place. Reports indicate that the captives' prescriptions were allegedly transferred to Qatari authorities on Saturday night and were thereafter supposed to be sent to the Red Cross or another third party.
Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reaffirmed his commitment to doing everything in his power to free the other hostages at a news conference on Saturday night. But he said that the captives' families are at a loss to comprehend the calculations that Israel's decision-makers must do, just as he is at a loss to comprehend their misery. Negotiations to release the captives should take other factors into consideration, according to his comment.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a statement before the march began urging the war cabinet to gather in the square on Sunday, Jan. 14. They emphasized that more hostages were being killed with each delay in reaching a solution.
In a press address made in southern Israel on Saturday night, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said that the release of further captives from Gaza could only be achieved via the use of military pressure. As the 100-day milestone comes in the conflict against Hamas, Halevi said that the IDF was using all measures to recover the hostages and would do so until they were all returned.
However, an increasing number of relatives of the hostages have been challenging this position, pointing out that since Israel restarted operations after a seven-day ceasefire in late November 2023, not a single captive has been freed.
