Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing accusations that the decision to resume fighting could endanger the lives of hostages being held in Gaza. Relatives of Israeli hostages expressed concerns that the military’s recent air strikes in Gaza might put their loved ones at greater risk.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a campaign group representing these families, revealed they had received no response to their requests for a meeting with Netanyahu and other officials regarding the safety of the remaining hostages. The group expressed frustration, suggesting that officials had not met with them because they were planning a military escalation, which could jeopardize the hostages.
Out of the 251 hostages taken during the October 2023 Hamas attack that ignited the conflict, 58 remain in Gaza, with 34 confirmed dead according to the Israeli military. The air strikes on Tuesday were the most deadly since a ceasefire in January, which had brought a temporary halt to the fighting and allowed for the release of 33 hostages, both alive and deceased, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 413 people were killed in the attacks on Tuesday.
In Jerusalem, dozens of relatives of Israeli hostages staged protests near Netanyahu’s office and the parliament. Michel Illouz, whose son Guy Illouz was abducted and murdered on October 7, stated, “Hamas cannot be defeated while there are captives in Gaza unless the government consciously decided to give up the lives of our children.”
Several hostages who had been released during the truce also voiced their support for those still held captive. Emily Damari, a British-Israeli hostage freed in January, posted on social media that her “heart is broken” and pledged to continue advocating for the captives’ return. Similarly, Eliya Cohen, released in February, condemned the renewed air strikes, calling them a “death sentence.”
Muriel Aranov, a 62-year-old pensioner in Tel Aviv, shared her concern, stating, “When we realized we were going back to war, the first thing I thought about was: what about the hostages? This is a death sentence for the hostages.”
In a parliamentary committee meeting, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich controversially suggested that the relative of a deceased hostage should be removed from the meeting, saying, “We’ve heard enough from you!”
On Tuesday, Netanyahu participated in a security assessment with Defense Minister Israel Katz in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu’s office later issued a statement defending the air strikes, claiming that they were ordered after Hamas repeatedly refused to release the hostages and rejected all proposals from U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and other mediators. “We are at an impasse. We have said ‘yes’ more than once to concrete proposals from the U.S. special envoy to extend the ceasefire, and Hamas has said ‘no’,” said Oren Marmorstein, a foreign ministry spokesperson.
“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increased military intensity,” he added.
The fate of the hostages remains a major priority for many in Israel.
