“Need to make an agreement”
Thousands protest for hostage release in Jerusalem
March 2, 2024, 10:51 p.m
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Hamas is still holding dozens of Israeli hostages. It is still unclear whether and when a release will take place. In Israel, thousands of Protestants are calling on the government to sign an agreement.
After a four-day protest march across Israel, thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem for the release of the hostages kidnapped by the radical Islamic Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The demonstrators waved flags and held posters with photos of those abducted. According to the organizers, a total of 20,000 people took part in the protest march or demonstration.
He hopes that the protests will make it clear to the Israeli government how important it is to release the hostages, said Ejal Kalderon, whose cousin Ofer Kalderon is among those abducted. “You have to make an agreement now at all costs,” he said. “I don’t know if there will be another chance. It’s now or maybe never.”
Hundreds of Hamas fighters entered Israel on October 7 and committed atrocities primarily against civilians. According to Israeli information, they killed around 1,160 people and kidnapped around 250 others as hostages in the Gaza Strip. During a week-long ceasefire in late November, more than a hundred hostages were released. According to Israeli information, 130 other hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, 31 of whom are said to be dead.
Negotiations for a ceasefire
In response to the Hamas attack, Israel has been taking military action in the Gaza Strip for almost five months, with the declared aim of destroying Hamas. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 30,300 people have been killed since then.
Negotiations are currently underway for a new ceasefire, which is expected to last six weeks. A high-ranking US government official said on Saturday that an agreement was “on the table” and that Israel had already agreed to it in principle. Hamas still lacks consent to release sick, injured, old and female hostages as requested. Circles within the radical Islamic Hamas announced that a Hamas delegation would fly to Cairo on Saturday for further talks about a ceasefire.