Netanyahu’s handling of the hostage crisis enrages Israelis
The anguished families of Israeli captives are becoming a political force
FOR NINE months the presidential residence in Jerusalem had been the site of angry and noisy rallies as every Saturday night Israelis protested against their government’s plans to clip the powers of the Supreme Court. Yet on October 22nd the hundreds who gathered there stood for hours in a largely silent vigil as President Isaac Herzog met relatives of the 220 Israelis confirmed to have been taken hostage in Gaza. Most of those abducted in an attack by Hamas on October 7th are civilians. Among them are babies and the elderly. As the families came out after the meeting, there were muted cries from the crowd of “bring them home now!”
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