'Feeling of despair'; Growing frustration among Israel hostage families
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 "Out, out!"
00:02 They have banded together in their anguish and in their determination to see their loved
00:08 ones freed.
00:09 This weekend, like most weekends, hostages square in Tel Aviv was the scene of mass protests
00:14 by relatives of hostages still being held in Gaza.
00:19 Families say they are fed up of being held in the dark over ongoing negotiations.
00:23 "I think there's a general kind of feeling of despair in terms of things moving forward.
00:29 We've heard that there's a deal on the table.
00:31 We don't know the progress of this, if it's actually moving forward or not, and where
00:35 it really stands.
00:36 I think the biggest thing is we just don't have a ton of information."
00:39 Now over three months into their loved ones' captivity, the families say they want to keep
00:43 up the pressure on the government, some even calling for Benjamin Netanyahu to resign.
00:49 The Prime Minister says bringing all the hostages home is one of the government's top priorities
00:53 but insists the best way to achieve this is by military pressure.
00:58 Some families have met with Qatari officials involved in negotiations.
01:01 They say all parties need to double down on their efforts to secure the release of the
01:05 hostages.
01:06 "We met His Excellency the Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed.
01:11 They wished to directly establish contact with us and learn the perspective of the hostage
01:18 families.
01:20 They were attentive, familiar with our stories and showed sympathy to us."
01:29 The Qatari government says the recent killing of senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Aruri in Lebanon
01:34 could further complicate hostage negotiations.
01:37 The agonizing wait for families continues.
01:40 According to Israel, of the 250 hostages taken on October 7th, more than 130 remain in captivity.
01:47 Some are believed to have been killed in operations by the Israeli military aimed at freeing them.