Protesters gather for a rally calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held captive since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack, outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on Dec. 28, 2024. (Credit: Jack Guez/AFP)
Five Israeli demonstrators protesting for the release of hostages held in Gaza since Oct. 7 of last year were arrested outside the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Saturday, Israeli media reported. Twenty protestors gathered outside the home in the early morning, shouting through loudspeakers at the prime minister that the hostages were suffering in the tunnels and were “cold, tortured and sick” while he enjoyed home comforts, according to Channel 12, an Israeli broadcaster.
“Everything is closing in on you. We, the people, will not forget and will not forgive,” the protestors shouted, banging on drums and blowing horns. Israeli police released a statement saying the protestors were held for violating noise restrictions.
According to Haaretz, thousands of Israelis gathered in various locations across the country on Saturday night in demonstrations opposing the government and calling for the return of the hostages. Protests were reported in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Be'er Sheva, Sha'ar HaNegev Junction, Herzliya, Netanya, and Rishon Lezion. The number of people taking to the streets in protest against Netanyahu and his war policies has surged yet again in the last week.
Among the speakers at the Haifa protest were former Shin Bet Director Ami Aylon and former Israeli army Lieutenant Colonel Ron Reshef, and other leaders of the Brothers and Sisters in Arms protest group, Haaretz reported.
Most speakers called for an end to the war, but Reshef took a different tone, saying that the army needs "tens of thousands of soldiers," and criticizing the government for advancing legislation to exempt draft-age ultra-Orthodox men from military service.
'Momentum' returns to mediations
Qatar's prime minister met a Hamas delegation in Doha on Saturday to discuss a "clear and comprehensive" cease-fire deal to end the war in Gaza, according to a statement from the Qatari Foreign Ministry. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani held talks with a Hamas team led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya, an unusual move for the prime minister, who is also the foreign minister, who has not been publicly involved in the mediation process, at a standstill for months now.
"During the meeting, the latest developments in the Gaza cease-fire negotiations were reviewed, and ways to advance the process were discussed to ensure a clear and comprehensive agreement that brings an end to the ongoing war in the region," the statement said.
The Israeli delegation left Doha on Tuesday to bring the latest in the discussions back to Tel Aviv. Earlier this month, the sheikh expressed optimism that "momentum" was returning to the talks following Donald Trump's election victory in the United States.
"We have sensed, after the election, that the momentum is coming back," he said at the Doha Forum political conference.
The incoming Trump administration had given "a lot of encouragement in order to achieve a deal, even before the president comes to the office," the premier added.
In November, Qatar announced it had put its mediation on hold, saying that it would resume when Hamas and Israel showed "willingness and seriousness," but then hosted indirect negotiations this month, with Hamas and Israel both reporting progress before again accusing each other of throwing up roadblocks.
Netanyahu 'the main obstacle to the deal'
According to Israel, 251 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage by Palestinian fighters during the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack. As of Dec. 4, Israel's official figure for those held in Gaza was 101, including four people taken hostage in 2014 and 2015. Two of these are believed to have died.
Outside of the Israeli army headquarters in Tel Aviv, a mother of one of the hostages still in Gaza accused Netanyahu on Saturday of sabotaging a hostage release deal. Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan, told protestors gathered there that "a comprehensive deal could be reached, but Netanyahu refuses to end the war for criminal reasons."
"While he instructs everyone to remain silent, he is running to torpedo the deal through interviews and press conferences," she said, as cited in a Haaretz report. "Netanyahu continues to be the main obstacle to the deal. Anyone who declares that they have no intention of ending the war does not want to bring back the hostages. Anyone who introduces new conditions just before closing a deal is sentencing the hostages to death."
"Netanyahu keeps inventing new excuses to prevent a deal, sabotaging it in cold blood, and sacrificing our loved ones for his own [Knesset] seat," Zangauker said. "He is afraid of [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir and [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich and refuses to end the war, completely contrary to Israel's interests."
