Grandfather of freed captive: ‘Hostages are of no concern to Netanyahu’

At a Jerusalem hostage rally, the grandfather of freed hostage Naama Levy tells a crowd of demonstrators that he has lost faith in Israel’s political leadership and calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ouster.

“You abandoned them [the hostages] on October 7 and you continue to abandon them now, too,” he says, addressing the premier directly outside his official residence.

He charges Netanyahu with declining to continue January’s ceasefire deal into its second phase to win back Itamar Ben Gvir and his far-right Otzma Yehudit party, which left the coalition over the agreement.

“In just the past few days, you renewed the war in Lebanon because they violated the ceasefire. What is stopping you from stopping the war in Gaza, returning all the hostages and, if they violate the peace, returning to war?” he adds.

“The hostages are of no concern to Netanyahu, maybe they are just a fabrication, and there’s no such thing as citizens, soldiers, or hostages that are still stuck in Gaza,” he continues wryly. “Maybe this is just a fabrication by hundreds of thousands of demonstrators.”

לא נעצור! כולם צריכים לחזור! ירושלים הערב pic.twitter.com/HSM57d7Ljm

— amos schurr (@AmosSchurr) March 29, 2025

Jucha Engel, whose grandson Ofir was freed in a hostage-truce deal in November 2023, speaks after Levy, repeatedly calling Netanyahu “Mr. Abandonment.”

“The use of force has already cost the lives of 41 hostages… Their blood is on the hands of all the government ministers and Knesset members,” Engel says.

He also accuses Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who Netanyahu named to replace Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Mossad chief David Barnea as head of Israel’s hostage negotiating team in February, of opposing any deal to return the hostages.

Earlier that evening, during a march to Netanyahu’s residence, protesters carried a banner demanding that Dermer either strike a deal to return the 59 hostages remaining in Gaza or resign from his post.