Hundreds of Israelis, including families of soldiers slain during the war in Gaza, protested at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Thursday ahead of an expected government vote on the ceasefire deal with Hamas terrorists.
Protests were also held outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in the capital.
Eliyahu Libman, one of the founders of the Tikva Forum for Families of Hostages and whose son Elyakim was murdered during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, told Hakol Hayehudi at the protest, “And Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has this day torn the kingship over Israel away from you.’ [1 Samuel 15:28]”
“Starting today, you are directly responsible for all the blood that will be shed,” Libman said in remarks addressed to the Israeli government. “For the most terrible national humiliation and encouragement of terrorism! The blasphemy of God cries out to heaven; we will never forgive you.”
Wally Wollfstal, the father of Capt. (res.) Ariel Mordechay Wollfstal, who was killed in central Gaza on Jan. 22, 2024, told Arutz 7: “There will be the price for this deal: hundreds more dead soldiers. If we return after they released a million people who were in southern Gaza and allow them to return to the northern Strip, we will receive more coffins.
“From the protest camp in Jerusalem, we call on Cabinet members not to approve this reckless deal, which will release thousands of terrorists and cause many more dead IDF soldiers,” added Wollfstal.
On Thursday night, the Tikva Forum and the Heroism Forum, which represents families of soldiers and security personnel who died in the Swords of Iron war, are planning major protests against the deal at intersections across Israel.
“[President Donald] Trump’s entry [into office] marks the time to move from a slow and faltering war, using failed raids, to victory, decisiveness, the occupation of Gaza and a complete victory over Hamas,” the organizers stated in the announcement. “Now is definitely not the time to surrender to Hamas.
“No to signing a surrender deal—now is the time for victory! It is time to win the war and return all the hostages!” the announcement concludes.
Thirty-three hostages, living and dead, out of the 98 held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza are set to be freed during the first phase of the deal, in exchange for 1,000 Gazan terrorists held by Israel.
(The 33 freed captives are to include nine ill and wounded hostages who will be released in exchange for the release of 110 Palestinian terrorists serving life sentences.)
Israeli forces are to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt. The withdrawal is to begin on the 42nd day of the first phase, after the release of the final (33rd) hostage for the phase, and is to be completed by the 50th day.
An Israeli Cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday morning, in which the agreement was set to be approved, was reportedly postponed after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism Party signaled it could exit the government in protest of the agreement.
However, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet vote was delayed because Hamas reneged on parts of the deal. “The Israeli Cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” the PMO stated.