Relatives and supporters of those kidnapped on October 7 in Israel turned their weekly demonstration into a somber vigil on Saturday, in memory of a hostage whose body was found this week in Gaza and whose fate outraged thousands of people during a local anti-government demonstration.
The Israeli army announced on Saturday that it had recovered the body of Elad Katzir, 47, in Khan Younis and had repatriated it. The militant group Islamic Jihad took Mr. Katzir from Kibbutz Nir Oz. He appeared twice in videos during his captivity, and died in January at the hands of his captors, according to the Israeli military, a claim that could not be verified.
The news came Sunday on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the war, when thousands of people are expected to gather in Israel for new protests.
“For six months we have been in a nightmare,” Esther Buchstab, the mother of Yagev Buchstab, 34, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nirim on October 7, said at a vigil in Israel’s Tel Aviv on Saturday evening. She added: “We demand that the state do everything to reach an agreement, to bring back the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial. »
Nearby, on Democracy Square, thousands of anti-government demonstrators called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to repatriate the more than 130 hostages still missing after October 7.
As the protest drew to a close, a car drove through the crowd of protesters in violation of police orders, injuring several people, according to a police statement on Telegram. It’s unclear why the driver drove his car into the crowd, but he ignored police orders to stop and the car’s passengers could be seen yelling at protesters in a video posted to social media .
“‘Destroy Hamas’ and ‘absolute victory’ are meaningless slogans,” said Eran Herkevi, 66, an agriculture specialist. “There is real pressure to bring back the remaining hostages, otherwise the population will never be able to recover as a society. »
Those sentiments were echoed by Sarit Perl, 65, a retiree and mother of three combat soldiers who are all on their second round of deployments. She called for Mr Netanyahu’s removal and new elections to replace him.
“I’m here today because there are three things that need to happen now: impeachment, the return of all the hostages and the holding of elections,” she said.
Ms. Perl criticized Mr. Netanyahu, who faces growing calls for elections and whose Jerusalem home has been the scene of frequent protests, including earlier this week.
“Netanyahu has never served as prime minister,” Ms. Perl said. “But now he appears to be acting to deliberately destroy the chances of reaching an agreement, and nothing in Israel will ever recover from this as long as he remains in office.” »
Sahar Shapira, 42, said the death of the hostage, Mr Katzir, underlined the urgent need for a deal for the return of the hostages. “It is clear to people that the hostages cannot survive,” she said, predicting that “many more like him will return the same way.”
In a 2009 interview with The New York Times, after Palestinian rocket attacks led to a deadly three-week Israeli offensive against Hamas in Gaza, Mr. Katzir told a reporter that he had a nagging feeling . “I don’t feel any victory,” Mr. Katzir said at the time, after the fighting ended in a fragile ceasefire. “I still don’t feel safe.”
News of Mr. Katzir’s death has stoked tensions in Israel. In a statement announcing the vigil on Saturday, representatives of the hostages’ relatives called on Israelis to gather in Jerusalem on Sunday for a rally marking six months of war.
Families of those kidnapped held rallies every Saturday in a public square near Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv to pressure the government to reach a deal for the return of their loved ones. These rallies have often converged with anti-government demonstrations.
Israeli officials are meeting representatives from Egypt, Qatar and the United States in Cairo on Sunday to resume discussions on a hostage deal that has been stalled for months. President Biden urges participants to reach an agreement leading to an “immediate ceasefire” and the return of the hosts.
Noam Peri, the daughter of Chaim Peri, 79, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and who Hamas said in December was among five hostages killed in Gaza in an Israeli airstrike, demanded action from Israeli government. “Mr Prime Minister, cabinet members, it’s your fault!” she said, adding: “Don’t come back without a deal!”
