Israel-Hamas War: Families of hostages in marching order in Jerusalem to put pressure on Netanyahu

“We are waiting for them to meet us, we are waiting for them to tell us how they are going to do it,” said Noam Alon, 25, holding up a photo of his girlfriend, Inbar, who was kidnapped. “We can’t wait any longer, so we’re asking them to do it now, whatever the cost.”.

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Approximately 240 people – from babies to old people – are believed to be in the Gaza Strip after being kidnapped by the Islamist group during a raid on October 7 against villages and military bases in southern Israel, during which 1,200 people were killed. Many relatives and friends of the missing fear that they will be harmed during Israeli attacks on Gaza aimed at destroying Hamas.

The government believes the offensive improves the chances of recovering the hostages, perhaps through a prisoner exchange with the help of a mediator. “I feel like people think they have time, but for babies and older people who have complex needs, there is no time, time goes by quickly”said London-based artist Sharone Lifschitz, whose 83-year-old father was kidnapped.

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Many Israelis blame their government for being blindsided by the Hamas assault. Among the demonstrators who traveled to Jerusalem was centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid, who has mostly supported the war but called for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hamas, which early in the war threatened to execute the hostages in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes, has since said some of the hostages were killed in attacks on Gaza.