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Key Points
- The families of Israeli hostages arrived in Jerusalem on Saturday at the end of a five-day march.
- The march confronted the government over the plight of those taken captive by Hamas in Gaza.
- Around 240 people – from babies to grandparents and including foreign nationals – are believed to be in the Gaza Strip.
“We are expecting them to meet with us, we are expecting them to tell us how they are going to do it,” he said. “We cannot wait any longer, so we are demand(ing) them to do that now, to pay any price to bring the hostages back.”
Hamas has taken at least 240 people hostage in Gaza, including women, children and the elderly, according to the Israel Defense Force. Source: AAP / Abir Sultan/EPA
Around 240 people – from babies to grandparents and including foreign nationals – are believed to be in the Gaza Strip after being taken hostage by the Islamist group during a 7 October raid on southern Israeli villages and army bases in which 1,200 people were killed.
The significant escalation is the latest boiling point in a long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
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Many Israelis blame their government for being blindsided by the Hamas assault.
That has stoked the anxiety of campaigners and relatives calling on the Israeli government to speed up any prisoner swap, and frustration with Netanyahu’s insistence that discretion is required around the Qatari- and Egyptian-mediated negotiations.
“I’m happy with the fact that we have the whole of Israel around us,” said Meirav Leshem-Gonen, whose daughter Romi, 23, is among the hostages. “This is what will count in the end.”
