The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters issued a sharply worded statement on Monday evening, as news broke out of intensive IDF strikes in Gaza City.
“The families of the hostages are receiving with deep concern reports of the major military operation launched tonight in Gaza City,” the statement said.
“After 710 nights of being held captive by terrorists, tonight could be the final night for hostages who are barely surviving, and our last chance to locate and recover the deceased for dignified burial,” warned the families of the hostages, adding, “Many living hostages are in Gaza City.”
“Prime Minister Netanyahu is deliberately choosing to sacrifice them for political considerations, completely disregarding the assessments of the Chief of Staff and security establishment,” they charged.
“The Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Minister Dermer, and Chief of Staff have all ignored meeting requests from the families of the hostages, who are demanding answers about this operation that puts their loved ones at risk,” said the families.
They noted that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio “made time to meet with the families three times just this past week. Likud ministers found time for celebratory toasts rather than meeting with the families.”
“Prime Minister Netanyahu bears personal responsibility for the fate of the hostages. The people of Israel will not forgive the sacrifice of the hostages and soldiers. The writing is on the wall,” the statement concluded.
Later on Monday evening, families of hostages headed to the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem.
Einav Zangauker, mother of Matan who is being held hostage in Gaza, spoke outside the Prime Minister's residence, addressing the Prime Minister's wife: "Sara, come out here and tell me what you promised me in Nir Oz. Come! There are other fathers and mothers here too. Come out and tell me how you lied to my face, how you told me that you were going to bring back a deal and return everyone home. Come out and tell me how you lied to me. You know how to meet with families behind closed doors, away from the media, away from everything, and you sell them complete nonsense. Enough!"
She added, "I have one interest—for this country to wake up and bring back my child along with 47 other hostages, both living and deceased, and to bring our soldiers home. He doesn't like hearing us here, so he ran away like a coward. We will follow him everywhere, day and night. It's over—the gloves are off. If he stops at nothing and sends our precious, brave, heroic soldiers to fight while our hostages are being used as human shields—he is not a worthy Prime Minister!”
The statement and protests came after reports emerged in the Gaza Strip of significant strikes in the northwestern part of Gaza City, ahead of the planned operation to capture the city.
The Israeli defense establishment estimates that approximately 320,000 residents of Gaza have already moved south toward the humanitarian zones prepared for them.
A defense official told Channel 12 News, “The number of Gazans who have moved so far allows the maneuver to begin.”