Thousands join Israeli hostage families in march on Jerusalem
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Families and supporters of the kidnapped hostages take part in a four-day march to Jerusalem.
PHOTO: REUTERS
JERUSALEM - A march by thousands of Israelis demanding the release of hostages held in Gaza arrived in Jerusalem on March 2 as negotiators prepared to resume ceasefire negotiations in Cairo that would include a swop deal with Hamas.
A column of protesters walked up the winding highway to Jerusalem, arriving at the city at sundown.
The march was led by families of hostages seized by militants during Hamas’ rampage through southern Israel on Oct 7.
Holding up Israeli flags, yellow balloons and posters of the hostages, the protesters concluded a four-day march that began at one of the sites hit in the October attack.
“We’re here marching in support of the families of those who are kidnapped, wishing that they will be released soon and that they will be safe. We’re praying for them in every step that we take,” said Mr Danny Cuperman, one of the marchers.
Organisers said 20,000 people participated in either the march or the rally on March 2.
Gaza truce talks are expected to resume in the Egyptian capital on March 3. US President Joe Biden has said he hopes a ceasefire will be in place by the time of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on March 10.
Dozens of hostages could be freed if a deal is reached.
Yair Mozes, whose 79-year-old father Gadi was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, said: “This is the only humane thing that can happen. They must be (coming) home. That’s it.”
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been mediating truce negotiations since January.
The last deal led to a week-long pause in fighting in November
Almost five months into the war in Gaza, 134 hostages are still being held incommunicado in the coastal enclave, according to Israeli authorities. Among them are soldiers and civilians, men and women, a child and his baby brother.
Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 253 in the Oct 7 attack
Israel then responded with a military assault on Gaza that has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians there, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
Israelis have been protesting nearly every week under different banners, though in numbers far smaller than the mass demonstrations that gripped the country in 2023.
Some demand that the government quit over the Oct 7 security failure, while others focus on the release of hostages and aid to Gaza. REUTERS, AFP
