Today, 6:37 am
Rocket warning sirens sound in Tel Aviv and the surrounding areas.
Archiv: Austausche (Personen / Inhaftierte / Geiseln) / swaps (persons / prisoners / hostages)
Thousands of Israelis rally in Tel Aviv, urging Gaza captives deal
“This deal-sabotaging government is forsaking the captives and abandoning them to die,” said Yotam Cohen, the brother of Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza.
“As long as Netanyahu is in power, this war will go on indefinitely and there will be no hostage deal. To save the hostages lives, Netanyahu must be replaced,” Cohen told The Associated Press news agency.
Israel Erupts Against Netanyahu | Massive Protest In Tel Aviv By Hostage Families | Gaza War | LIVE
Protesters gather to pressure Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government to negotiate the release of hostages. The single protest also includes hostages‘ relatives and demonstrators calling for the end of the Israeli prime minister‘s government. Speakers at protest: Michal Lobanov, wife of the late Alex Lobanov who was killed last week by Hamas; Anat Angrest, mother of Matan Angrest; Einav Zangauker, mother of Matan Zangauker; Sha‘ban al-Sayed, father of Hisham al-Sayed; Amit Elgarat, nephew of Itzik Elgarat; Ido and Shani, friends of Gali and Ziv Berman.
Extracts from some of the great speeches at today‘s London Gaza protest
Organised by PSC and its partner Palestine-supporting groups
Tens of thousands protest in London, demanding arms supply cessation
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters marched in London, demanding a „renewed call to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza“ and an „immediate and full cessation of arms supplies to Israel“. The protest was the 19th national march in London since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Protesters scuffle with police, try to break through a barricade. They’re chanting “shame,” “Ben Gvir is a terrorist” and “where were you at Sde Teiman,” the infamous prison where Palestinian prisoners were abused, at the cops
Israel protests: Organisers claim largest-ever rally in Tel Aviv as calls for captive deal grow
An estimated 750,000 Israelis took to the streets in one of Israel’s biggest-ever protests as anger boils over at the government’s failure to bring those held captive home.
Many people have been arrested as protesters call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do a deal to bring home captives in Gaza.
Demonstrators accuse the police of using excessive force.
Tel Aviv Protest | Israeli Protests Against Benjamin Netanyahu | Ceasefire Protests News | N18G
An estimated 750,000 Israelis have taken to the streets in one of Israel’s biggest-ever protests as they demanded that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strike a deal to free remaining captives in Gaza.
B‘Tselem at the UNSC: For the Israeli government, the occupation and the settlements matter more than human life
On Sunday, we woke up to the news that six Israeli hostages were executed by Hamas, just before soldiers reached them in a tunnel in Gaza. Another six, added to tens of thousands of people in this land who should not have died over the past year. During this week, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets. They feel angry, desperate and betrayed by their government. They have understood, perhaps for the first time, that the Israeli government does not want to return the hostages in a deal, but to continue the war indefinitely. They see that the occupation and the settlements matter more than human life – and not only of Palestinians, said B‘Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak, who addressed the UN Security Council last night (Wednesday) . B’Tselem – the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories was invited by the Slovenian President of the Security Council to provide an expert review of the state of human rights in Israel/Palestine following the war.
Israel’s former spy chief slams Netanyahu over Philadelphi Corridor
Argaman, who headed the Shin Bet between 2016 and 2021, said the majority of weapons entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.
“When Netanyahu speaks of remaining on the Philadelphi Corridor, he knows very well that no smuggling takes place over the Philadelphi Corridor. So we are now relegated to living with this imaginary figment,” he said.
Netanyahu says security in Gaza is critical to stop Hamas smuggling hostages into Iran: ‚lost forever‘
According to Netanyahu, the best way to prevent these Hamas hostage smuggling efforts is through maintaining the contested Philadelphi Route – a security corridor that runs between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Netanyahu is unequivocal about ceasefire and hostage agreement with Hamas: ‘There’s not a deal in the making’
(September 5, 2024)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday was as clear as he has ever been that he does not believe a ceasefire and hostage deal is likely in Gaza in a sharp rebuke to the Biden administration’s insistence it’s close at hand.
“There’s not a deal in the making,” Netanyahu told Fox News. “Unfortunately, it’s not close.”
Netanyahu derailed a potential Gaza hostage deal in July, Israeli newspaper reports
)September 4, 2024)
The report lends credence to charges often leveled at the prime minister – most notably by hostage families – of purposefully prolonging the war and torpedoing deals for his political benefit. Far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition have pledged to bring down the government should he end the war.
Several news outlets, including CNN, have reported on the late July demands made by Netanyahu, but this is the first time the Israeli document has been obtained in full.
CIA and MI6 say agencies are ‚working tirelessly‘ towards ceasefire
In an opinion piece for the Financial Times, CIA director Bill Burns and MI6 chief Richard Moore said…
Kamala Harris Had Her Worst Week Since Joe Biden Stepped Aside
T.J. McCormack, a Republican communications specialist, said that after a „stratospheric liftoff“ to her campaign, any „less-than-stellar few days would constitute a bad week“ for the vice president.
„For a coddled candidate the real world can be a terrible thing, especially when that world has several multi-front wars, murdered hostages and polling firms carving up swing states with scalpels,“ McCormack told Newsweek. „Kamala loved the big stage, now she‘s in the trenches.“
As U.S. readies last cease-fire push, Netanyahu digs in on border demands
As he fights for his political survival, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on keeping troops on a narrow strip of land along the Gaza-Egypt border has become the main obstacle to a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement with Hamas, according to current and former officials from mediating countries.
After many months of inconclusive talks, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris discussed with advisers on Monday how to move forward with a final “take it or leave it” proposal to present to Israel and Hamas, potentially as soon as this week.
Biden, Harris to huddle with US negotiators for Gaza deal push after hostage killings
(2 September 2024)
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were scheduled to hold a meeting Monday with hostage negotiators, …
Tumultuous weekend for Israelis leaves Netanyahu with fewer options than ever
Unlike Palestinians in Gaza, Israelis can rise up to challenge their leadership. Late-night skirmishes between protesters and the authorities Sunday on Tel Aviv’s usually hyper-busy eight-lane Ayalon Highway were a manifestation of that.
As flames and dense smoke engulfed wooden pallets and tires on the roads, I watched a young man, blue paint spray in hand, scrawl his message to the prime minister in foot-high letters on the roadside wall: “Hostages or revolt.”
Why are American Jewish institutions ignoring the hostage families?
(July 7, 2024)
There are exceptions of course. The Reform Movement issued a statement supporting President Joe Biden’s announcement of a potential ceasefire and hostage release plan, and calling on Netanyahu to accept it. T’ruah, the organization I lead, has been clear in our calls for a bilateral ceasefire that brings home the hostages and ends the war. Ditto our partners in the Progressive Israel Network, including J Street, Americans for Peace Now, New York Jewish Agenda and New Israel Fund.
But many of the largest Jewish organizations, including legacy groups such as Jewish Federations of North America, American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League have decoupled calls to “Bring them Home” from any talk of ending the war, and have refrained from placing any blame on the Israeli government.
Hostages families forum blames Netanyahu for death of captives
„A deal for the return of the abductees has been on the table for over two months,“ the forum said. „If it weren‘t for the thwarting [of the deal], the excuses and the spins, the abductees whose deaths we learned of this morning would probably be alive.
„Enough with the excuses. Enough with the spins. Enough of the procrastination!
The time has come to return our abductees home – the living for rehabilitation and the victims and the murdered for burial in their own country.“
‘Mr. Death’: Hostage families say Netanyahu has condemned their loved ones to die
(August 31, 2024)
In a statement read out in front of the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, family members of the hostages accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of knowingly condemning the hostages to death.
“Netanyahu and his partners in the cabinet decided to torpedo the [hostage-ceasefire] deal due to the Philadelphia spin, and as such knowingly condemn the hostages to death,” the statement says.
Einav Zangauker, mother of Hamas hostage Matan Zangauker, calls Netanyahu “Mr. Death.”
Amid protests after murder of hostages, Netanyahu to hold press conference
The press conference will take place amid public demonstrations against his government for not doing enough to secure a hostage deal in the wake of the murder of six hostages,..
Israel’s anti-Netanyahu strike ends early and fails to bring the country to a standstill
The strike began at 05:00 local time and was expected to last 24 hours but at midday a court ordered it to end, considering it “political” and “unrelated” to the issue for which it had been called. Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David announced to the labor court that he was considering a petition to suspend it that would end the action at 18.00. However, the court ordered the strike to end at 2:30 p.m. and Bar-David responded by urging workers to return to their posts.
During its short duration, the strike failed to paralyze Israel.
Masses around Israel demand Gaza deal as nation recoils from murder of 6 hostages
Labor federation chief Arnon Bar-David says hostage release stuck due to ‘political considerations,’ most of labor market will strike as of 6 a.m. Monday
Protest In Tel Aviv Live | Israelis Protest In Tel Aviv City After Hostages Dead | Israel Hamas War
Protesters gather in Tel Aviv after Israel‘s army announced it recovered the bodies of 6 hostages in Gaza.
Israelis protest against Netanyahu after 6 hostages found dead in Gaza
Israel on Sunday said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza. Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages protested Sunday outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office in Jerusalem. Eylon Keshet, a family member of a Hamas-held hostage, says ‘it’s been a nightmare every day,’ adding that Netanyahu ‘should be held responsible’ and Hamas should be pressured into a ceasefire.
Israelis erupt in protest to demand a cease-fire after 6 more hostages die in Gaza
Grieving and angry Israelis surged into the streets Sunday night after six more hostages were found dead in Gaza, chanting “Now! Now!” as they demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a cease-fire with Hamas to bring the remaining captives home.
Israel’s largest trade union, the Histadrut, pressured the government by calling a general strike for Monday, the first since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war.
National labor union announces one-day strike: ‘A deal is more important than anything else’
Histadrut Labor Federation chief Arnon Bar-David announces a general strike set for tomorrow over the failure to release hostages held in Gaza, stating that “a deal is more important than anything else.”
Live: Anti-government protesters gather in Tel Aviv
Protesters against the Netanyahu government gather at Kaplan Square in Tel Aviv, Israel for a weekly protest.
Israeli Hostage Families Breach Gaza Fence As Netanyahu Fails To Crack Deal With Hamas | Tel Aviv
A video on Aug 29 said to show relatives of hostages holding a protest near the Gaza border. In the video, people can be seen breaching the fence & running toward their loved ones. They reportedly heeded pleas from security forces & made their way back to kibbutz nirim. Watch this video for all the details.
Report: Gaza mediators setting aside Philadelphi Corridor for now, focusing on other issues
Unnamed senior officials tell Channel 12 news that mediators in ceasefire-hostage deal talks have decided to set aside the thorny issue of Israel’s presence in two Gaza corridors under a potential agreement, and are focusing on other matters.
Egypt stresses rejection to Israeli presence in Rafah Border Crossing, Philadelphi Corridor
Egypt stressed to all concerned parties its rejection to any Israeli presence in Rafah Border Crossing or Philadelphi Corridor, a high-profile source told Egyptian media Monday.