Hostage family members rage against ‘Mr. Abandonment’ at Tel Aviv protest
In Tel Aviv, chants of “You’re not alone — we’re with you” greet relatives of hostages who get up to speak to the 2,000-person strong crowd demanding a hostage deal.
A group representing people arrested at anti-government rallies says two protesters have been detained at the demonstration.
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, tells ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government their “names will be written in the history books with the blood of the hostages who were murdered in Gaza.”
“You have one way to avoid that fate — abandon the hangman from Aza Street,” she says, referring to the address of Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence. “Replace him with someone who will bring a deal.”
Ifat Kalderon, cousin of hostage Ofer Kalderon, accuses Netanyahu of harming the negotiations by ordering the assassination of top Hamas officials and “causing the death of the hostages,” riffing on his former nickname of Mr. Security.
“The military pressure, which never led to progress in the negotiations, has turned into a veritable mortal danger for the hostages,” she says. “And you, Mr. Abandonment, have lost the way.”
She calls on her cousin Ofer to stay strong, and thanks the crowd for coming to the protest.
Eli Albag, father of hostage Liri Albag, calls on the crowd to hoist their phones in a moment of silence for the six slain hostages recovered from Gaza over the weekend and the six slain hostages recovered the week before.
Protesters hold their phones up in a moment of silence for 12 hostages whose bodies the IDF recovered from Gaza in recent weeks, at a 2000-strong anti-government demonstration calling for a truce-hostage deal with Hamas, outside the IDF headquartes in Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/Pftj9VnwjX
— Noam Lehmann (@noamlehmann) September 3, 2024
