Jerusalem:
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the immediate lifting of restrictions on gatherings in central Israel, including Tel Aviv and its suburbs. According to the report of news agency Xinhua, this decision was taken by the Home Front Command of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) after the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which became effective from Wednesday morning. Earlier, the command had limited the gathering of up to 2 thousand people in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area as well as other areas of central Israel after Hezbollah fired missiles from Lebanon. In northern Israel, a ban on gatherings of 10, 100, 350 or 2,000 people was implemented in areas near the border with Lebanon.
Families of hostages surrounded PM Netanyahu’s office
Relatives of people held hostage in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday blocked the entrance to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Knesset (Israeli Parliament) office. These people were demanding that the PM meet them and work out a hostage agreement to free their loved ones. According to the report of ‘The Times of Israel’, this protest took place a day after Netanyahu and his government approved the ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect in Lebanon at 4 am local time (02:00 GMT/7:30 am IST) on Wednesday. Eli Albagh, whose young daughter Liri was taken prisoner during the Hamas attack on October 7 last year, said that just as Netanyahu was successful in brokering a deal to end the fighting in Lebanon, he should do the same in Gaza. Needed. Albagh said, “If you want, you can do so. We are requesting you with all our heart.”
The protesters were later removed by Knesset security. They then went down the floor and started protesting on the stairs leading to the faction wing of the building, where various political parties hold meetings and press conferences.
The families of the seven surviving American-Israeli hostages said in a joint statement, “While we are excited by this ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, we ask ourselves, when will our children, parents, sisters and brothers return home? But their chairs cannot be allowed to remain vacant forever.”
“We call on (US) President-elect (Donald) Trump to work closely with President (Joe) Biden and his administration officials to bring the seven Americans – Omar Neutra, Aidan Alexander, Judy Weinstein to justice,” the statement said. , Gad Haggai, Keith Siegel, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Itay Chen – and an additional 94 hostages to be brought home immediately.”
Several efforts, mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar, to stop the Israel-Hamas conflict and bring back the remaining hostages have failed. Hamas’s emphasis has been on ending the war and withdrawing all IDF forces, on the other hand, Netanyahu has rejected these conditions. Hamas is also demanding the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
On October 7, in response to a major attack by Hamas in Israel, the Jewish State launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip occupied by the Palestinian group. About 1200 people were killed in the Hamas attack while more than 250 people were taken hostage. Israeli attacks have caused massive destruction in Gaza and killed thousands of Palestinians.
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