Israel marked the 500-day anniversary of the Gaza war on Monday, with relatives of hostages still in captivity and their supporters holding events across the country. They urged the government to move to the second stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas and ensure that all hostages held in Gaza are released.
Many observed a 500-minute fast and joined protests under the banner “Get them and us out of hell. Now.” Families of hostages marched from prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem to the Knesset parliament building chanting: “Why are they still in Gaza?”
The main gathering took place on Monday night in Tel Aviv. Parents told the crowd they have been waiting 500 days for their children to come back, with no information over their fate.
Despite the ceasefire, Israeli troops remain in Gaza in a narrow buffer zone along the entire length of the border with Israel and along the border between Gaza and Egypt, the so-called Philadelphia route.
The ceasefire’s second phase is meant to usher in negotiations to return the remaining living hostages among the 251 seized during the Hamas-led raid on October 7th, 2023, and complete an Israeli military withdrawal before a final end to the war and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu is reluctant to move to the next stage of the ceasefire and declare an end to the war, fearing this would mark the end of his right-wing coalition and new elections.
Many fear that Mr Netanyahu is waiting for an excuse to renew the fighting. However, the American envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said he was certain that the second stage of the ceasefire agreement would be carried out.
A resumption of the fighting is the scenario the relatives of the hostages fear most. “If war resumes, it’s a death sentence for the remaining hostages,” said Shay Dickmann, the cousin of Carmel Gat, who was murdered in Hamas captivity last year.
[ With fighting stilled, Palestinians face new trauma: searching for their deadOpens in new window ]
The security cabinet convened on Monday night to discuss stage two of the ceasefire as Mr Netanyahu tried to allay right-wing concerns that Israel will be forced by Washington to end the war.
Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the far-right Religious Zionist party, urged Mr Netanyahu to declare that when the war resumes – which he said would take place after the first stage – Israel will annex 10 per cent of Gaza’s territory.
Before the security cabinet meeting he called on Israel to warn Hamas that “Israel will open the gates of hell” unless they release all the hostages, leave the Gaza Strip and give up their military capabilities.
The Gaza war began with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th 2023, when gunmen killed 1,200 people as well as taking 251 hostages.
More than 48,200 people have been killed by the Israel offensive in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The retaliatory assault laid waste to much of the enclave, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
Some 73 hostages remain in Gaza, including at least 35 who have been confirmed dead by Israel. Hamas released 105 civilians in November 2023 during a weeklong ceasefire.
A second ceasefire was announced last month following the intervention of newly-elected US president Donald Trump. Some 24 hostages have since been released.
Six more are due to be set free this month along with the remains of eight hostages. Four of those who died are expected to be handed over on Thursday. In return, Israel has freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, and dozens of militants serving life terms, who went into exile.
About 83 per cent of Israelis who were evacuated from the south following the Gaza war have returned home, but 13 out of 45 communities in the Gaza border area remain uninhabitable due to security or reconstruction concerns. Rows of burnt-out homes can still be seen on many of the kibbutzim close to the border fence. – Additional reporting Reuters
