Families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza have started a five-day march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, beginning today, Tuesday, to urge the government to make greater efforts to secure the release of their relatives. Some of the hostages' relatives have sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not doing more to ensure their release while the Israeli army continues its incursion into Gaza on orders to eliminate Hamas.
Shelly Shim Tov, whose 21-year-old son was taken to Gaza five weeks ago, stated, "I demand from Benjamin Netanyahu and the government to give us answers and (take) action." She added, "Where are you? Where are you?" in a plea directed at the government at the start of the march.
Hamas's armed wing announced on Monday that it is prepared to release up to 70 hostages, including women and children, in exchange for a five-day ceasefire and the release of 275 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons. They claimed that Israel is "stalling and evading" the deal.
So far, Netanyahu has rejected any talk of a ceasefire, telling NBC News on Sunday that he would not be prepared to stop fighting unless all hostages are released. He added that the best way to reach an agreement is to continue military pressure on Hamas, stating, "This is the only thing that might lead to an agreement, and if we reach an agreement, we will talk about it then."
