As Israel’s Security Cabinet convenes Thursday evening to debate expanding military operations in Gaza, including a potential full occupation of the Strip, thousands are expected to protest the move nationwide.
Hours before the pivotal meeting, families of hostages held in Gaza embarked on a maritime demonstration, sailing a flotilla from Ashkelon’s marina toward the Gaza border, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid actions that could endanger their loved ones.
Hostage families on flotilla heading to Gaza border
The two-hour voyage, led by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, included a symbolic act near Gaza’s coast where families shouted messages of hope to the captives and tossed 50 yellow life jackets into the sea, accompanied by the distress call “Mayday.”
“We’re sailing to Gaza’s maritime border to cry out for our loved ones held by a murderous terror group,” the families said, warning that expanding the war “puts them at immediate risk of death or disappearance.”
Michel Illouz, father of slain hostage Guy Illouz, joined the flotilla and voiced his anguish on Ynet. “The state has deliberately sabotaged efforts from the start. This decision to conquer Gaza will send soldiers to their deaths, I’m certain,” he said, criticizing the government’s motives.
“It’s all politics to preserve the coalition. We’re hostages to a government that does what it wants.” Illouz expressed frustration with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, saying, “I wish the chief could resign, but then what? They’d bring in a yes-man?”
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, called for mass protests outside the Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. “Netanyahu promised me a deal to bring everyone back, but he exploited our pain and sabotaged it,” she said. “He lied to us all.”
Ruti Strom, mother of captive Eitan Horn and former hostage Yair Horn, held onto hope. “Netanyahu knows victory means bringing all hostages home,” she told Ynet. “How can a government abandon its people in Gaza, suffering as we know they are? I won’t give up on my son or any hostage.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
She pleaded with Cabinet members to “think with their hearts,” recalling the pain of having one son returned while Eitan remains captive. Protest groups, rallying under the slogan “They have no mandate to expand the war and sacrifice hostages and soldiers,” plan to flood the streets after the 6 p.m. cabinet meeting.
Organizers reported that demonstrations will intensify, with a major rally in Tel Aviv and others in junctions and towns across the country. The forum urged Zamir to resist endangering captives, saying, “You’re the people’s army commander. The people want the war to end and the hostages returned. Don’t leave anyone behind.”
The Cabinet will consider two IDF plans: a full occupation or encirclement of Gaza, with the military favoring the latter. Netanyahu, advocating occupation, argues that encirclement failed to secure the hostages’ release.
The proposed four-to-five-month operation would involve capturing Gaza City and central camps using four to six divisions, aiming to avoid harming hostages. The plan includes pushing civilians south toward the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, similar to past evacuations, relying on regular troops rather than widespread reservist mobilization.
Ministers, uninformed prior to the meeting, expressed frustration over the lack of briefings, with some noting the last cabinet session was three weeks ago. Government sources insist Netanyahu’s push for occupation is genuine, aimed at defeating Hamas to increase chances of rescuing hostages, arguing the status quo endangers them further, as seen in harrowing videos of captives Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski.