Protests mar Israeli memorial ceremonies amid public anger over failure to release hostages

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Protests marred speeches given by Israeli government ministers at memorial ceremonies on Monday amid growing public anger over the failure to release hostages held by Palestinian group Hamas.

Many attendees left during a speech given by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Mount Herzl national cemetery in West Jerusalem, Haaretz newspaper reported.

“We are determined to win the fight, we have collected and will collect a heavy price from the enemy,” Netanyahu said in his speech.

“We will realize the goals of victory – and at the center of them is the return of all our hostages home – but the price we pay is very heavy,” he added.

A similar protest occurred during a speech given by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in the southern city of Ashdod.

“Get out of here, criminal,” yelled Israeli protesters during the ceremony amid clashes between Ben-Gvir’s supporters and opponents, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

The Israeli opposition and hostages’ families accuse Netanyahu of failing to achieve the main goals of the Gaza war, including the release of their captives.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which killed 1,200 people.

More than 35,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and over 78,700 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul