Israel

Israeli hostage relatives storm parliament as Benjamin Netanyahu rejects Gaza truce

Author: Editors Desk Source: Financial Times

January 22, 2024 at 18:43

Relatives of Israeli hostages burst into a parliamentary committee session, intensifying pressure on the government to secure their release © Steven Scheer/Reuters

Protest comes after families of those held by Hamas pitched tents outside prime minister’s house in Jerusalem

Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza burst into a committee meeting in Israel’s parliament on Monday, escalating a campaign for the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a deal to return the captives.

The protest, held a day after relatives of the 130 hostages still held by Hamas blocked traffic outside the premier’s house in Jerusalem, came as Netanyahu denied that Hamas was offering a meaningful deal to release the hostages.

The prime minister is facing intensifying domestic pressure to secure their release, including from some members of his own war cabinet, one of whom last week said the hostages were unlikely to be returned alive without a deal with the Palestinian militant group.