U.S. Leftists were calling for an Israeli-Hamas cease-fire on Sunday in reaction to the killing of six hostages in a tunnel under Gaza.
However, a cease-fire is the least of concerns on the minds of IDF leadership at this point in time.
This from newsmax.com.
Protests gripped Israel on Sunday following the death of six hostages in Gaza as frustration mounted with the country’s leadership for failing to secure a ceasefire deal that would free Israeli captives.
Crowds estimated by Israeli media to number up to 500,000 strong demonstrated in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do more to bring home the remaining 101 hostages. Israel estimates about a third of them are dead. Labour leaders urged workers to stage a one-day general strike on Monday.
Protesters in Tel Aviv calling for the release of Israelis held hostage in Gaza since October.
The Israeli military announced the recovery of the bodies from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, as a polio vaccination campaign began in the war-shattered Palestinian territory and violence flared in the occupied West Bank.
The bodies of hostages Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino have been returned to Israel, military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters.
An Israeli health ministry spokesperson said:
A forensic examination determined they were murdered by Hamas terrorists in a number of shots at close range 48-72 hours previously.
In Jerusalem, protesters blocked streets and demonstrated outside the prime minister’s residence. Aerial footage showed Tel Aviv’s main highway blocked with protesters holding flags with pictures of the slain hostages.
Police said:
Some two dozen Israelis were arrested nationwide.
Netanyahu, who faces growing calls to end nearly 11 months of war with a deal for a ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages, said Israel would not rest until it caught those responsible.
He said:
Whoever murders hostages – does not want a deal.
Senior Hamas officials said that Israel, in its refusal to sign a ceasefire agreement, was to blame for the deaths.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters:
Netanyahu is responsible for the killing of Israeli prisoners.
The Israelis should choose between Netanyahu and the deal.
The Hostage Families Forum called on Netanyahu to take responsibility and explain what was holding up an agreement.
The Forum said:
The six hostages brought home on Sunday were all murdered in the last few days, after surviving almost 11 months of abuse, torture, and starvation in Hamas captivity. The delay in signing the deal has led to their deaths and those of many other hostages.
Netanyahu’s office said he had spoken to the family of Lobanov, whose body was among those recovered, apologizing and expressing “deep sorrow.”
But the family of Gat said they refused to speak to the prime minister and instead called on Israelis to join protests.
Gat’s cousin, Gil Dickmann, wrote on X:
Take to the streets and shut down the country until everyone returns. They can still be saved.
Months of stop-start negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have so far failed to secure a deal, despite increased U.S. pressure and repeated trips by top officials to the region.
Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son Sagui is another hostage with American citizenship, said the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to engage in negotiations with Hamas to bring hostages home and time was running out.
He told the CBS Face the Nation program:
[The] entire senior military establishment and intelligence community has been saying publicly and openly for weeks and months that the time has come to end the fighting in Gaza, get our hostages home, as many alive as possible.
Republican lawmakers on Sunday did not urge a stronger push for cease-fire negotiations, with some blaming the Biden-Harris Regime for not supporting Israel strongly enough.
With calls for a cease-fire, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said:
They continue to encourage and embolden Hamas.
Asked what Netanyahu’s government should do in the face of growing protests in Israel, Cotton said:
I would urge him to finish the job against Hamas, which is exactly what Kamala Harris and Joe Biden should have done from the very beginning.
War Hawk Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called for more pressure on Iran, Hamas’ main sponsor, telling ABC’s This Week:
[The Biden administration and Israel] should hold Iran accountable for the fate of remaining hostages and put on the target list oil refineries in Iran if the hostages are not released.
President Trump has placed full blame for the murder of the six hostages in Israel, including one American citizen, on the regime of Dementia Joe and Comrade Kamala.
Trump said Sunday on X:
We grieve the senseless death of the Israeli Hostages, horrifically including a wonderful American Citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, murdered by Hamas due to a complete lack of American Strength and Leadership.
Make no mistake—This happened because Comrade Kamala Harris and Crooked Joe Biden are poor Leaders.
Final thought: We must not forget the behind-the-scenes evil of the treasonous Barack Hussein Obama.
