From the Liveblog of
Friday, April 19, 2024
Protesters form human chain on Israel’s beaches to call for hostage release deal
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Family members of hostages held by terror groups in Gaza since October 7 are gathering on beaches along Israel’s coast to form a human train stretching from Habonim Beach to Rishon Lezion, some 85 kilometers (52 miles), in a call for the government to secure a hostage release deal.
On Tel Aviv’s Gordon Beach, protesters hold surfboards between them to extend the chain.
Ahead of the event, Shelly Shem Tov, whose son Omer Shem Tov was taken hostage by terrorists at the Supernova desert rave on October 7, called on the public to “come and stand with us quietly, without slogans.”
It is believed that 129 of the 253 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Three hostages have been rescued alive by troops, and the bodies of 12 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military.
The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 34 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. An additional person is listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown.
The Times of Israel Community.