Hostage families rally outside US Embassy in Tel Aviv, call for Biden’s assistance in securing hostage deal

Family members of people held hostage in Gaza are holding a rally outside the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, Hebrew news outlet Ynet reports.

The crowd outside the embassy calls for US President Joe Biden to pressure the Israeli government into accepting a deal for the release of the hostages, with organizers saying that the US government has shown more support for the cause than the Israeli government.

“The [Biden] administration is more committed to the issue of the hostages than the Israeli government, therefore the families of the hostages, together with other activists, will call on the responsible adult to apply pressure and save the abductees from Hamas captivity and the extremist government,” Ynet quotes the organizers as saying.

“We understand that the way to returning the hostages in a responsible deal that will restore security to the country and the entire region is through the US government, headed by President Biden,” the organizers’ statement continues. “These are critical days, a deal is on the table, Ramadan is approaching and every hour must be used to bring about an orderly solution.”

The event is taking place concurrently with the third leg of a four-day march from Kibbutz Re’im to Jerusalem, which set out this morning with stretchers from Beit Shemesh.

⁷כעת בהפגנת משפחות החטופים והפעילים מול שגרירות ארה"ב – פנייה לביידן ולבלינקן:
"אנחנו לא סומכים על הממשלה שלנו, על נתניהו ועל הקואליציה הזדונית וחסרת האחריות שלו" pic.twitter.com/fxkezbqmBu

— Or-ly Barlev ???? אור-לי ברלב (@orlybarlev) March 1, 2024