Benjamin Netanyahu’s hands ‘can be soaked with the blood of the hostages’ if his plan to seize control of all of Gaza results in the deaths of any more, one captive’s mother has warned.
Israel said Friday it can intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking up Gaza City, stirring fears for Palestinian civilians and hostages still held within the shattered enclave.
The military campaign has killed greater than 60,000 Palestinians, displaced a lot of the population, destroyed much of the infrastructure and pushed the territory toward famine.
Families of Israeli hostages rallied again on Saturday to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government into striking a deal for his or her return.
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held in Gaza, called on Israelis to ‘help us save the hostages, the soldiers and the state of Israel … Shut the country down.’
Addressing Netanyahu, she said: ‘When you conquer parts of the Strip and hostages are murdered, we are going to go after you within the squares, within the elections, and at any time and place.’
Speaking outside of the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, she said: ‘We’ll remind the people of Israel, day and night, that you might have brought a hostage deal and you made the decision to kill them.
‘Your hands can be soaked with the blood of the hostages.’
Far-right allies in Netanyahu’s coalition have been pushing for a complete takeover of Gaza as a part of his vow to eradicate Hamas militants.
Nonetheless, the military has warned this might endanger the lives of the remaining hostages.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the choice to send Israeli forces into Gaza City a disaster, saying it defied the recommendation of military and security officials.
He accused far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich of dragging Netanyahu into a chronic campaign that will end in the deaths of hostages and soldiers.
Netanyahu told Fox News Channel’s Bill Hemmer in an interview that aired on Thursday that Israel didn’t wish to keep the Gaza Strip, but to ascertain a ‘security perimeter’ and handy over the territory to Arab forces.
The announcement from the prime minister’s office early on Friday, following Thursday’s security cabinet meeting, said the military would take Gaza City, but didn’t say if Israeli forces would take all the enclave. Israel’s cabinet is predicted to endorse the Gaza City plan.
Israeli media have said 900,000 people now live in Gaza City, including many who’ve been displaced by the military.
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‘Where should we go? Will we throw ourselves within the sea?’ said Maghzouza Saada, a displaced Palestinian from Gaza’s north.
Before the war, Hamas’ strongest fighting units were believed to operate in northern Gaza, including Gaza City.
There are 50 hostages still held in Gaza, of whom Israeli officials consider 20 are alive.
Most of those freed thus far emerged because of this of diplomatic negotiations.
Talks toward a ceasefire that might have seen more hostages released collapsed in July.
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