"Lishay's Fears for Husband in Hamas Captivity as Israel Unveils New Gaza Strategy"

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Lishay Miran-Lavi has been waiting for her husband to come home for almost two years.

Omri Miran was taken from his home in kibbutz Nahal Oz in front of his wife and their two young daughters during the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants on Israel.

A day earlier, Netanyahu’s office said the security cabinet — a small group of senior ministers — had decided to seize Gaza City, expanding military operations in the devastated Palestinian territory despite widespread public opposition and warnings from the military the move could endanger the hostages.

“This isn’t just a military decision. It could be a death sentence for the people we love most,” Miran-Lavi told the rally, pleading to US President Donald Trump to intervene to immediately end the war.

Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and their supporters attend a protest calling on the government to sign a hostages release and ceasefire deal, outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv

Demonstrators waved signs and held up pictures of hostages still being held in Gaza as they called on the government to secure their release. Source: EPA / Abir Sultan

There are 50 hostages still held in Gaza, of whom Israeli officials believe 20 are alive. Most of those freed so far emerged as a result of diplomatic negotiations. Talks toward a ceasefire that could have seen more hostages released collapsed in July.

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is also held by Hamas in Gaza, said Netanyahu’s cabinet had “sealed the fate of the hostages”.

“The living will be murdered, and the fallen will disappear forever. The quotes from that meeting prove: this is not a political-security cabinet, this is a death cabinet.”

“Prime Minister, your hands will be stained with the blood of the hostages and our soldiers,” Zangauker told a news conference in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Einav Zangauker’s son, Matan, was abducted by Hamas militants during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Source: EPA / Abir Sultan

Majority of Israelis want war to end

Public opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Israelis favour an immediate end to the war to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by militants in Gaza.

The Israeli government has faced sharp criticism at home and abroad, including from some of its closest European allies, over the announcement that the military would expand the war. The full cabinet is expected to give its approval as soon as Sunday.

Rami Dar, 69-year-old Israeli retiree, who travelled from a nearby suburb outside of Tel Aviv, echoed calls for Trump to force a deal for the hostages.

“They (the government) are fanatic. They are doing things against the interests of the country,” Dar said.

Saturday’s demonstration attracted over 100,000 protesters, according to organisers.

Tel Aviv has seen frequent rallies urging the government to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, who ignited the war with their October 2023 attack. Source: EPA / Abir Sultan

Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 attack in 2023, in which more than 1,200 people, including an estimated 30 children, were killed and over 200 hostages taken, according to the Israeli government. More than 60,430 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

The October 7 attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Some of the prime minister’s far-right coalition allies have been pushing for a total takeover of Gaza. The military has warned this could endanger the lives of the hostages in Gaza.

Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, a proponent of continuing the war, issued a statement on Saturday criticising Netanyahu and called for the annexation of large parts of Gaza.

Netanyahu told Fox News in an interview that aired on Friday that the military intended to take control of all of Gaza but that Israel did not want to keep the territory.

The announcement from the prime minister’s office early on Friday said the military would take Gaza City, but did not explicitly say if Israeli forces would take all of the enclave.