Israel carried out fresh strikes on Gaza Sunday as its leaders came under growing pressure to secure the release of hostages still held in the Hamas-run territory more than two months after the October 7 attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced protests on Saturday by relatives of hostages who called for an urgent deal to secure their freedom after the army admitted mistakenly killing three captives in Gaza.
The trio were among an estimated 250 people taken hostage during Hamas’s October 7 raids into Israel, which also killed about 1,140 people, according to the Israeli authorities’ latest figures. According to Hamas, Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed 18,800 people, mostly women and children. At a protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday, relatives of hostages gathered to plead with the government for a deal.
“Take us into consideration and come up with a plan now (for negotiation),” said Noam Perry, daughter of hostage Haim Perry, at the protest. More than 100 of the Israelis and foreigners seized by Hamas and other militants on October 7 were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners during a week-long truce last month, mediated by Qatar. Netanyahu doubled down on his war effort on Saturday, telling reporters of the three hostages’ deaths: “It broke my heart. It broke the whole nation’s heart.”
“With all the deep sorrow, I want to clarify: the military pressure is necessary both for the return of the kidnapped and for achieving victory over our enemies,” he added.
