Netanyahu
The families of several of the hostages who were killed last week were contacted, according to statements made by Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, September 2.Israel’s prime minister said he begged their pardon for failing to return their loved ones home.
He said at a press conference in Jerusalem, “We were close, but we didn’t succeed.”
With the discovery of the six captives’ bodies in Gaza, thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Monday for the second consecutive day, expressing their sorrow and rage.
Standing in front of a rough map of Gaza to begin Monday’s news conference, Mr. Netanyahu emphasized the strategic significance of the corridors, which have been a major source of contention in truce discussions.
After six captives were discovered dead in Gaza on Saturday, Benjamin Netanyahu begged Israelis for “forgiveness,” threatening to “return to their families in shrouds” if a truce wasn’t achieved.
As he made these remarks, Israel saw its second night of fierce street demonstrations against his handling of the negotiations.
The UK’s suspension of some military deliveries to Israel, which was justified by the threat of the equipment being used to break international law, added to the mounting international pressure.
Nevertheless, Israel’s prime minister adopted a firm stance, demanding that its forces remain in charge of Gaza’s strategically vital Philadelphi Corridor, a subject of contention in talks with Hamas.
In new rallies called by the families of the hostages, thousands of Israelis demonstrated on Monday in the streets to voice their dissatisfaction at Mr. Netanyahu’s inability to free their loved ones after nearly 11 months.
In one demonstration outside the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem, the Times of Israel revealed that police were acting very aggressively, shoving demonstrators, throwing several to the ground, and pulling a large number of them away.
A reporter for the Times of Israel was allegedly choked by one police officer.
After thousands of people protested on Sunday throughout the nation, including those who blocked a key highway in Tel Aviv, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the most recent demonstrations. Many waved yellow ribbons from a bridge that overlooked the Ayalon Highway, showing support for the hostages, while many wore Israeli flags.
Following their kidnapping by Hamas on October 7, of last year, 97 hostages are still unaccounted for.
On Monday, Hamas declared that if Israel’s military pressure doesn’t stop, hostages will be returned “inside coffins.” It also stated that militants tasked with securing the captives have been given “new instructions” to follow in case Israeli troops approach them.
“Netanyahu would return captives in shrouds to their families because he insisted on using military force to free them rather than reaching a compromise. Without going into detail about what fresh directives had been given, a group spokesman stated, “Their families must decide whether they want them dead or alive.”
A countrywide strike was called to put pressure on the government to reach an agreement with Hamas on a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages. Earlier on Monday, the largest labor union in Israel announced that hundreds of thousands of people had joined the strike.
In spite of this, the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv reported minimal inconvenience, and a large number of eateries and hospitality services continued to run as usual. Israelis have demonstrated that they were free from “political needs” by going to work “in droves,” according to far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.