Netanyahu’s war choices fuel discord in Israel over captives’ fate in Gaza
To prioritise the release of the captives in Gaza, or to continue fighting what critics are calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “forever war” – that is the question increasingly dividing Israel.
Israel’s government, laser-focused on the idea of a total victory against Hamas in Gaza, appears to be opting for the latter.
Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv demand an end to war on Gaza
Thousands of Israelis rallied in central Tel Aviv, calling on the government to end the war on Gaza and secure the immediate release of Israeli captives held in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that in Tel Aviv, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli campaign group, held its weekly rally Saturday in “Hostages Square”, while another demonstration by families of captives is taking place outside the Israeli military headquarters.
A separate antigovernment protest also occurred at Habima Square in Tel Aviv.
The Times of Israel reported that Shai Mozes, whose parents were held captive and released in separate exchange deals, told the crowd at the protest in Habima Square that Israel’s “real enemy is not Hamas, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is destroying Israel as a Jewish and democratic state”.
Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, Jordan, said that “family members of Israeli captives still held in Gaza say that Netanyahu is still prolonging the war for personal and political gain, and that he’s the one who’s not willing to compromise when it comes to any sort of cease fire deal”.
