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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to maintain combating in Gaza, whilst anguish over the Israeli army’s unintended killings of three hostages within the enclave raised new questions on how his authorities is prosecuting the warfare.
Mr. Netanyahu started a authorities assembly in Tel Aviv on Sunday by studying from a letter that he mentioned got here from households of Israeli troopers killed combating in Gaza.
“You’ve gotten a mandate to combat; you should not have a mandate to cease within the center,” Mr. Netanyahu learn in Hebrew, in response to an announcement from his workplace.
As a “testomony” to the fallen troopers, Mr. Netanyahu mentioned, Israel’s army would “combat to the tip.”
The letter seems at odds with the message coming from family of Israelis nonetheless held hostage in Gaza, a lot of whom have taken to the streets to demand a cease-fire in order that their family members can return dwelling.
Weekly rallies in assist of the hostages have drawn hundreds of protesters to Tel Aviv to exhibit exterior the Israeli army’s fundamental headquarters. Information that the Israeli army had mistakenly killed the three hostages on Friday added a way of urgency to the rally on Saturday night time.
Lots of of protesters gathered on a central boulevard in Tel Aviv to exhibit in opposition to the federal government earlier than marching by the town to hitch the hostage rally.
“We see the present strategy just isn’t working,” mentioned Deborah Galili, a protester from Tel Aviv. She mentioned she needed Mr. Netanyahu’s authorities to pursue a peaceable decision that might deliver the hostages dwelling and finish the combating.
A weeklong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas final month noticed 105 Israeli hostages freed in trade for the discharge of 240 Palestinians from Israeli jails earlier than negotiations broke down and the warfare resumed on Dec. 1.
“Since then, Ms. Galili mentioned, “we’re not seeing extra hostages coming dwelling alive.” A number of hostages have been confirmed lifeless by Israel’s army in latest weeks.
Some protesters mentioned that they believed the unintended killings of the three hostages by Israel’s army would mark a turning level in individuals’s willingness to publicly criticize Mr. Netanyahu and the way in which his authorities is dealing with the warfare.
Ms. Galili was one in every of them.
“Mr. Netanyahu has not taken accountability,” she mentioned, including that he must “step up” and take accountability or step down.
Efi Toledano, one other demonstrator from Tel Aviv, had protested Mr. Netanyahu’s authorities earlier than the warfare. Whereas he stopped in wake of the Oct. 7 assault on Israel, the deaths of the hostages prompted him to renew protesting on Saturday night time.
“We had been taught that when there’s a warfare, we’re all to be quiet and assist the troopers,” mentioned Mr. Toledano. He mentioned that the deaths of hostages advised that Mr. Netanyahu is perhaps all in favour of persevering with the warfare even on the expense of hostages’ lives. Due to that, he added, “We’re returning to sound our voice and combat in opposition to this authorities.”
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