TEL AVIV, Israel: Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand urgent government action to bring home hostages held in Gaza after the bodies of several were recovered.
Protesters held a minute’s silence in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square in honour of the prisoners whose bodies were found by Israeli soldiers this month, media reported.
The army said on Friday that troops recovered the bodies of three hostages in an overnight operation in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip.
The remains of Chanan Yablonka, French-Mexican Orion Hernandez Radoux and Brazilian-Israeli Michel Nisenbaum “were rescued” and notified to their families after forensic identification, the army said in a statement.
“I’m going to bury my 42-year-old brother in a few hours… I was afraid of this moment,” said Yablonka’s sister Avivit at Saturday’s rally.
“Brother, I promise you that I will continue to shout, support, fight and do everything to make sure that all the hostages return home safely.
“Now they must be taken out of this hell.
The bodies of four other dead hostages — Ron Benjamin, Shani Louk, Yitzhak Gelerenter and Amit Buskila — were found last week.
Another protest was held nearby, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and early elections.
The war in Gaza erupted after an October 7 attack by Hamas that killed more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians.
The militants also took 252 hostages, of whom 121 remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.
