The Israeli army has found the bodies of several hostages in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli newspaper reported in its electronic edition “Haaretz“, quoted by BTA.
The army announced on Saturday evening that the process of transport and identification would take several hours and urged that rumors be avoided. Israel's armed forces continue to operate in the area.
The Forum of Hostages and Families of Missing Persons issued a statement saying: “(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu has abandoned the hostages. This is already a fact”. “From tomorrow the country will tremble, we call on society to prepare”.
Families of hostages gathered at the organization's offices for an emergency meeting to discuss plans for protests on Sunday, with a more detailed announcement of the plans expected in the morning.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said: “Our sons and daughters are abandoned and dying in captivity, and Netanyahu is busy twisting”.
The Israeli army announced the death of one of its soldiers on the fourth day of its operation in the occupied West Bank, where the fighting is concentrated in the Jenin refugee camp - a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups fighting against the Israeli occupation, France Press reported.< /p>
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) added that another soldier was “seriously wounded” in the same operation, without giving further details. Earlier this morning, the armed wing of "Hamas" reported that one of his fighters was killed in “close combat” with Israeli soldiers in the camp.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Tel Aviv and other places in Israel on Saturday to demand that the government reach an agreement to release the hostages held by the Islamist group “Hamas”, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
strong>
Participants in the protests waved Israeli flags and banners calling for the immediate release of the hostages in the Gaza Strip, as well as for new elections in Israel.
There were clashes between the police and demonstrators in Tel Aviv.
At a meeting at Israeli army headquarters in Tel Aviv, relatives of the hostages accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning them. “Netanyahu and his cabinet partners have decided to torpedo the truce agreement over the Philadelphia Corridor, thereby knowingly condemning the hostages to death,” said a statement read by the relatives.
Talks between Israel and “Hamas” with the mediation of the USA, Egypt and Qatar in Cairo have been at an impasse for some time, with the main point of contention being how long Israeli forces will be able to stay in the Gaza Strip and in particular in the so-called “Philadelphia Corridor“ along Gaza's border with Egypt.
The Israeli government recently decided to maintain control of the border. Critics of the decision, including Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, fear it will thwart the release of the hostages.
The mother of a hostage of “Hamas“ called Netanyahu's insistence on control of the Philadelphia Corridor a “crime against the people, against the State of Israel and against Zionism”.