Israeli police criticised over violence at hostage families’ protest in Tel Aviv
Israeli police were criticised yesterday after using force against protesters in Tel Aviv who were demanding the government act quickly to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Footage appeared to show a police officer striking a protester with a baton at the demonstration on Saturday. Eighteen people were arrested at the protest.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, a former prime minister, condemned the actions of the police.
“The police violence this evening towards protesters, among them the families of hostages, is dangerous, antidemocratic and cannot continue,” he said.
“The right to protest is a fundamental right, and it cannot be taken from protesters with batons and water cannon.”
Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to strike an agreement to free the hostages.
Thousands gathered on Saturday at what has come to be known as “Hostages Square” in Tel Aviv to demand swifter action. A smaller protest took place in Jerusalem.
“We think about them [the hostages] all the time and want them back alive as soon as possible,” said Orna Tal, whose close friend Tsachi Idan was abducted from the Nahal Oz kibbutz. “We’ll protest again and again until they’re back.”
Hostages’ families have followed the negotiations with hope and anguish, and protests have been a regular occurrence since about 240 people were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7.
About 130 are thought to remain in Gaza, after some were released as part of an agreement in November last year that also involved a pause in hostilities and the release of 240 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
Since then, talks have made little progress, hampered in part by Israeli bombardments of Gaza and the assassination of Hamas commanders.
Shelly Shem Tov, whose 21-year-old son Omer is among the hostages, said she was concerned about his chances of being included in an exchange. “It feels like Schindler’s list,” she said. “Will he be on the list or not?”
Polling shows a sharp slide in Mr Netanyahu’s approval ratings, with many Israelis angered by the government’s failure to prevent the October 7 attacks and what they see as its reckless handling of the war.
A recent survey by Israel’s Channel 12 news predicted he would be soundly defeated if an election was held now, with Benny Gantz’s National Unity party forecast to gain 75 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, and Mr Netanyahu’s Likud securing just 45.