“Bring back our children”: between fear and anger, the families of Hamas hostages march towards Netanyahu’s home
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Five days of walking to carry the voice of the 240 Hamas hostages. Dozens of Israelis close to the hostages and missing since October 7 began a march this Tuesday from Tel Aviv towards Jerusalem, where they will arrive on Saturday. Their destination: the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Over 63 km, they want to show up in numbers to demand accountability from the Israeli government and finally find their loved ones, after more than 40 days of waiting. A march launched at the initiative of the Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing, an association hastily created after the attacks of October 7.
“Bring our children, our families home!” »
“Members of the families, along with citizens of Israel, will march from Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem – to present to the Prime Minister their demand for the immediate release of all those kidnapped and disappeared,” details the Forum’s appeal. He calls on the government to tell the families what “demands” it has “put on the table” with a view to an “agreement to release the hostages from Gaza”.
“I demand that Benjamin Netanyahu and the cabinet give us answers and take action. We have no more strength. Bring our children, our families home! » cried Shelley Shem Tov at the start of the march, whose son Omer, 21, has been missing since October 7.
“I don’t feel like we’re in good hands. We don’t feel like we’re kept sufficiently informed. We are in the dark. We want answers,” insisted Amit Zach, nephew of Adina Moshe, 72, to the Guardian.
” NOW ! NOW ! »
Amit and hundreds of other relatives of the missing left the square of the Museum of Fine Arts in Tel Aviv on Tuesday noon, renamed “hostage square” for several weeks, unanimously chanting “Achshav! Achshav! » (Now! Now!). The families then walked to Beer Yakov, a town on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, after being escorted by police onto a highway.
They left around 9 a.m. this Wednesday morning for another day of walking to Kibbutz Gezer, where they are expected around 7 p.m. local time.
Two new days of marches are planned for Thursday and Friday, with a Shabbat celebrated within the kibbutz of Ma’ale Ha-Hamsha. Shabbat is the day of rest in the Jewish religion, non-working from sunset on Friday evening until sunset on Saturday.
After a final day of walking on the highway back to Jerusalem, the families plan to arrive Saturday evening around 6 p.m. on rue de Smolenskin, where Benyamin Netanyahu’s residence is located. They are calling for a rally around 7 p.m. in front of his home and intend to go to the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, as soon as the premises open on Monday.
Israeli government under fire
For more than a month, the families of the hostages have been demanding accountability from the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. The prospect of release is regularly put forward by the Israeli executive without further information for the families.
The incessant bombings on Gaza also raise fears for the relatives of the hostages, who fear that they could be victims of attacks if they are detained under the tunnels.
The armed wing of Hamas accused the Israeli authorities on Monday of “procrastinating” in discussions, via Qatari mediation, on the possible release of dozens of hostages in exchange for that of “200 children and 75 women” imprisoned by Israel.
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