From the Liveblog of
Saturday, December 2, 2023
Returned captives, hostage families demand meeting with Netanyahu as truce ends
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Families of the hostages held in Gaza, including several of those freed in recent days, are demanding to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A statement from the forum for the families says they want the meeting “tonight” after a week-long truce aimed at getting hostages back ended due to Hamas violations and Israel announced it was pulling out of talks.
“The end of the ceasefire and the return to fighting obliges an immediate update be given to the families of the hostages,” the forum says. “The hostages that returned demand to meet this evening with the prime minister and members of the war cabinet, together with all the families of those who remain hostage.”
Every days could be the last day, we cannot leave them there,” the statement says.
Over the week-long truce, 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity in Gaza: 81 Israelis, 23 Thai nationals and one Filipino.
Several of those freed have husbands and fathers still held in Gaza.
Still held hostage by Gaza terror groups when the truce collapsed were 136 people — 114 men, 20 women and two children. Ten of the hostages are 75 and older. The vast majority of the hostages, 125, are Israeli. Eleven are foreign nationals, including eight from Thailand.
The Times of Israel Community.