The families of the Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip and other frustrated Israelis have, since the war broke out in October, organized daily protests around Israel. They believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are not doing enough to bring home the hostages. The demonstrators have marched towards the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem, stormed a meeting in parliament and protested inside the Knesset. Their message is crystal clear. Israel must do more to get the hostages back from the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, the families of the hostages and other activists blocked a road in Tel Aviv. “Bring them home”, read several posters. Photo: Susana Vera / Reuters Ultranationalists and the far right But in recent weeks, the demonstrations have taken on a new dimension. Hundreds of Israelis, especially ultra-nationalists and far-right activists, have camped on roads around Israel and at the border crossings to the Gaza Strip and Egypt. They want to prevent emergency aid from entering the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, several hundred Israelis showed up at the Kerem Shalom border crossing. This is reported by the Israeli TV channel Channel 12. Israeli soldiers protect the trucks that have been prevented from entering the Gaza Strip via Kerem Shalom on Tuesday. Photo: Menahem Kahana / AFP The demonstrators demand that the Israeli authorities do more for the hostages in the Gaza Strip to be released, but also place great emphasis on the fact that emergency aid should not reach Hamas. 132 lorries loaded with food, medicine, water and other emergency aid must be stationed at the border. At the end of January, the Israeli army (IDF) announced that the Kerem Shalom crossing was a closed military zone, following several protests in the area. Nevertheless, right-wing demonstrators are said to have made it through the barricades, and made it all the way to the trucks at the border crossing. Israel has opened up to send flour to Gaza via the port city of Ashdod. Activists also tried to stop the loading docks here with emergency help on Thursday. Uncertain situation for the hostages There has been little information about the condition of the hostages in the Gaza Strip, and there has been speculation as to how many are still alive. On Tuesday evening, the IDF informed that 31 of the 130 hostages will be confirmed dead. – We have informed the 31 families that their loved ones are no longer among the living, and that we can confirm the dead, said spokesperson for the Israeli army, Daniel Hagari, during a press conference. In December, Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip. According to Reuters, Gissela is said to have called for help, but the Israeli soldiers are said to have interpreted it as a trap by Hamas. The IDF calls the killing an accident. Israeli women demonstrated outside the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv yesterday. Photo: Ahmad Gharabli / AFP Talks about a ceasefire During the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last November, 105 hostages were released by Hamas, against 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. There have been several negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, but none have led to a new ceasefire. Qatar says on Tuesday evening that they are “optimistic” after a meeting with Hamas, which is said to have given a positive response to an agreement on the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for a ceasefire in the war. US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, who is in Qatar, also expressed optimism on Tuesday. Israel says on Tuesday evening that it will consider the proposal. Difficult to bring in emergency aid A humanitarian ceasefire can make the work of bringing in emergency aid a little less demanding. On Monday morning, a convoy of lorries on their way into Gaza will have been hit by artillery from Israeli naval vessels, according to the UN. A lorry is said to have sustained material damage, but no one is said to have been injured. This has not been confirmed or commented on by the IDF. UNRWA chief in Gaza, Thomas White, posted the photo of the truck that was allegedly hit by Israeli artillery on X/Twitter on Monday. Photo: Thomas White / Twitter Emergency aid is “a drop in the ocean” Due to Israel and Egypt’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, there are only three roads into the land area. Two of the border crossings are controlled by Israel, the last by Egypt. The New York Times writes that the border crossings have particularly limited opening hours, in addition to the fact that the lorries have to go through long inspections before they are allowed to drive in. Once inside, they have to drive on war-torn roads and generally stay in a life-threatening war zone. Israel and Egypt have allowed some emergency aid to pass through to the Gaza Strip, but the amount is called “a drop in the ocean” by the World Health Organisation, which also warns that there is now a great risk of famine in the Gaza Strip. Even before the war, 80 percent of the Gaza Strip depended on UN support to live. Photo: Mohammed Abed / AFP In northern Gaza, access to food is so limited that residents have said they have started eating animal feed. Of the 2.3 million who live in the Gaza Strip, the Norwegian Refugee Council estimates that 1.9 million will be internally displaced.
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Israelis block emergency aid to Gaza – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
