‘We could have ended the war a year ago’: Father of Israeli captive
As we’ve been reporting, the families of captives held in Gaza are protesting today in Israel as part of a nationwide “Day of Disruption” to demand the return of their loved ones from Gaza and an end to the war.
“Go back to the negotiation table. There’s a good deal on the table. It’s something we can work with,” said Ruby Chen, the father of 21-year-old Itay Chen, a dual Israeli-American citizen whose body is being held in Gaza. “We could get a deal done to bring all the hostages back.”
Einav Zangauker, whose 25-year-old son Matan was abducted from an Israeli kibbutz on October 7, 2023 and is among those believed to still be alive, also said the Israeli government “could have ended the war a year ago”.
“We could have saved hostages and soldiers, but the prime minister [Netanyahu] chose, again and again, to sacrifice civilians for the sake of his rule,” Zangauker said.
Black smoke rises from burning tires on Highway 2 in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
‘They are starving, you are celebrating’
Israeli news outlet Haaretz is reporting that dozens of protesters are demonstrating outside a restaurant in Jerusalem that is hosting an event by the Binyamin Regional Council – a body that oversees dozens of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is expected to attend after a security cabinet meeting.
According to Haaretz, the protesters are chanting, “They are starving, you are celebrating.”
Haaretz also said hundreds of protesters have set out on a march from Tel Aviv’s central railway station to Hostage Square.
A rally calling for an end to the war on Gaza and the return of Israeli captives, in Tel Aviv
