Bring Them Back

Thousands of Israelis protested across the country over the weekend, the latest demonstrations calling for a comprehensive deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip after more than 14 months of war, Agence France-Presse reported.

On Saturday, protesters gathered at key locations, including outside the army headquarters in Tel Aviv, where families of the hostages accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of stalling negotiations for political reasons.

They called on Netanyahu to prioritize bringing the hostages home and accused his far-right coalition of derailing negotiations to pursue settlement expansion in Gaza.

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is a hostage, declared Netanyahu had “no intent” to bring back her son, and vowed to hold him accountable if he returned in a body bag. Other speakers emphasized that a phased deal – prioritizing women, children, and elderly captives – would abandon those left behind.

Hamas is holding 96 hostages in Gaza, though that number includes 34 that the Israeli military says are dead. It took more than 250 hostages during its attack on southern Israel in October 2023.

Saturday’s demonstrations follow reports that Israel is entering “decisive days” on a potential deal with Hamas, which could include a temporary ceasefire and a phased release of hostages. In return, Israel would withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt, the Times of Israel wrote.

Mediators, including Qatar and Egypt, are reportedly pressing for an agreement, though disputes remain over the number of hostages to be released in the first phase.

US President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, is set to visit Israel next week to push for a deal. Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hosted US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and envoy Brett McGurk to discuss a ceasefire and hostage exchange.

The war, sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack, has killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and more than 44,900 in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials.