Desperate families of hostages pitched tents outside the Prime Minister’s Residence, accusing the government of endangering captives amid an intensified IDF ground offensive and demanding a comprehensive deal to bring them home.
As Israeli forces pushed into Gaza City, a small but growing camp of hostage families set up on Azza Street outside the Prime Minister’s Residence late Monday — a raw, public rebuke of the government’s chosen path. With tents on the sidewalks and blankets on the curb, relatives who have endured months of uncertainty made a dramatic stand: they will not leave until a clear, comprehensive deal to secure the release of the remaining captives is on the table.
At dawn the group — including Michel Ilouz, Anat Angrest, Ofir Braslavski, Einav Zangauker and Shahar Mor — read a blistering statement accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “deliberately endangering” hostages by accelerating military operations in areas where loved ones are believed to be held. “Last night the bombing intensified,” the statement said. “Our relatives in Gaza are being struck while the Prime Minister orders operations into zones where they may be held. He is making moves that risk their lives and block any chance of a deal.”
The families’ demand was stark and unequivocal: a binding, comprehensive agreement that ends the fighting in exchange for the hostages’ release — “no slogans, no sabotage, no partial measures.” They warned that continued strikes and troop movements could turn living captives into casualties, and said they refuse to sit quietly while military action proceeds without a parallel, viable hostage-extraction plan.
Anger and grief charged the protest. Speakers contrasted life inside Israel — “the Prime Minister preparing a holiday table with his family” — with the relentless fear of those whose children and partners remain in Gaza. “We are terrified this might be their last night,” the statement declared. “We will fortify ourselves here. We will no longer accept being sidelined while decisions are made that could cost lives.”
The families accused the government of sacrificing both soldiers and hostages to a policy of escalation, and called on bereaved families and other hostage relatives to join the protest. “This is not just our story,” they warned. “This is history being written in the blood of our loved ones. Wake up, Israel — come support us.”
Their final appeal was as political as it was personal: they insisted the war’s stated goals — regional normalization and renewed security — cannot take priority over bringing captives home. Until a credible, all-encompassing exchange is secured and the fighting is brought to an end, they say they will remain camped at the Prime Minister’s doorstep, demanding the government put the hostages first.
Tags: Hostage Families, Netanyahu Protest, Gaza Offensive, IDF Operations, Israel Politics
SEO keywords: hostage families protest Jerusalem, Netanyahu accused endangering hostages, IDF ground offensive Gaza City, Azza Street hostage camp, demand for hostage release dealAs Israeli forces pushed into Gaza City, a small but growing camp of hostage families set up on Azza Street outside the Prime Minister’s Residence late Monday — a raw, public rebuke of the government’s chosen path. With tents on the sidewalks and blankets on the curb, relatives who have endured months of uncertainty made a dramatic stand: they will not leave until a clear, comprehensive deal to secure the release of the remaining captives is on the table.
At dawn the group — including Michel Ilouz, Anat Angrest, Ofir Braslavski, Einav Zangauker and Shahar Mor — read a blistering statement accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “deliberately endangering” hostages by accelerating military operations in areas where loved ones are believed to be held. “Last night the bombing intensified,” the statement said. “Our relatives in Gaza are being struck while the Prime Minister orders operations into zones where they may be held. He is making moves that risk their lives and block any chance of a deal.”
The families’ demand was stark and unequivocal: a binding, comprehensive agreement that ends the fighting in exchange for the hostages’ release — “no slogans, no sabotage, no partial measures.” They warned that continued strikes and troop movements could turn living captives into casualties, and said they refuse to sit quietly while military action proceeds without a parallel, viable hostage-extraction plan.
Anger and grief charged the protest. Speakers contrasted life inside Israel — “the Prime Minister preparing a holiday table with his family” — with the relentless fear of those whose children and partners remain in Gaza. “We are terrified this might be their last night,” the statement declared. “We will fortify ourselves here. We will no longer accept being sidelined while decisions are made that could cost lives.”
The families accused the government of sacrificing both soldiers and hostages to a policy of escalation, and called on bereaved families and other hostage relatives to join the protest. “This is not just our story,” they warned. “This is history being written in the blood of our loved ones. Wake up, Israel — come support us.”
Their final appeal was as political as it was personal: they insisted the war’s stated goals — regional normalization and renewed security — cannot take priority over bringing captives home. Until a credible, all-encompassing exchange is secured and the fighting is brought to an end, they say they will remain camped at the Prime Minister’s doorstep, demanding the government put the hostages first.
Tags: Hostage Families, Netanyahu Protest, Gaza Offensive, IDF Operations, Israel Politics
SEO keywords: hostage families protest Jerusalem, Netanyahu accused endangering hostages, IDF ground offensive Gaza City, Azza Street hostage camp, demand for hostage release deal
