Thousands of Israelis rally for Gaza hostages, marking 6 months of war
- Rally in Jerusalem calls for remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to be brought home
- Talks to secure another ceasefire that would include the release of hostages resume in Egypt
Thousands of protesters rallied in Jerusalem on Sunday demanding the release of around 130 hostages still held in Gaza after six months of Israel’s war against Hamas.
Hamas gunmen burst into Israel on October 7, killed 1,200 people in their homes, on army bases, along roads and at an outdoor rave, and inflicting sexual violence on some of their victims, according to a UN team of experts.
The gunmen also seized 253 hostages, including children and elderly, civilians and soldiers. Around half of them were released as part of a brief truce deal in late November.
Talks to secure another ceasefire that would include the release of dozens more of the remaining hostages, resumed in Egypt on Sunday.
But some hostage families are wary, with previous rounds of negotiations having gone nowhere and some of the hostages dying in captivity.
“Their families and everybody here has had enough. And people need to understand that and the world needs to stand up and get them back,” said Michal Nachshon, 39, who made her way from Tel Aviv to the protest outside Israel’s parliament