By Turgut Alp Boyraz
JERUSALEM (AA) - Rescuing the Israeli captives held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip through war is impossible, their families said, calling on Tel Aviv to start negotiations with the Palestinian group.
As many as 136 Israelis have been held by Hamas since Oct. 7.
Hamas demands a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Palestinians from Israeli prisons in exchange for releasing Israelis in its custody.
The families of the Israeli captives and a significant portion of the society accuse the government of "neglecting the captives and doing nothing to rescue them."
The anger has intensified following reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a prisoner exchange with Hamas under current conditions.
A group of people stormed the Israeli Knesset on Monday urging lawmakers to work towards a new captive exchange agreement.
The families of the captives set up tents in front of Netanyahu's residence in West Jerusalem on Sunday evening to protest.
Later in the evening, they gathered at the same location, calling on Netanyahu to negotiate with Hamas and rescue the captives.
- 'Talks not war'
Speaking to Anadolu, Aciram Meir, the uncle of 21-year-old captive Almog Meir, said that war would not bring his nephew back.
“We need a deal to bring him back. It will be very hard for Netanyahu to go for a deal. But if you want the hostages alive, and to bring them back, unfortunately, it will be by a deal and not by fighting.”
Recalling that seven weeks have passed since the captive exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, Meir accused the government of not making enough effort to bring back the captives.
According to 27-year-old Nava Rozolyo, who attended the protest, Netanyahu is determined to stay in power at any cost and is unwilling to engage in a captive exchange due to opposition from coalition partners.
Rozolyo described this situation as a "tension" between Netanyahu's personal interests and Israel's national interests.
Zahor Avigdoi, another protester, said that the Netanyahu government has the capability to end the "hostage crisis" but needs the "courage" to do so.
“On the right path to choose, we are here to tell them that we are behind them. The story of the hostages is not only the story of the hostages' families, it is the story of the entire Israeli population. It is a story, it is the ability of us to believe and regain the trust between citizens and government, this trust was shattered to pieces on October 7.”
“We plead with our government and our prime minister to start rebuilding this trust by bringing them home now.”
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv says killed 1,200 people.
At least 25,295 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 63,000 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
* Writing by Seda Sevencan