Israeli hostage families demand meeting with government

The families of hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza are threatening a protest if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant do not meet with them Saturday.

A spokesperson for the families said they plan to gather at a central square in Tel Aviv. 

They are vigorously calling for a meeting after Israel ramped up attacks on Gaza overnight Friday.

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The military’s claim that it is targeting tunnel infrastructure has prompted fear among the families that military leaders are being cavalier with the lives of the hostages, who are believed to be held inside the tunnels.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said there are more than 230 hostages of all ages confirmed to have been taken captive during the October 7 terrorist attack, in which Hamas infiltrated Israel and murdered at least 1,400 people, including at least 310 soldiers.

Israel’s military said that its main objectives in the war are to eliminate Hamas’ military capabilities and rescue the hostages.

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A Hamas official said Friday that the Palestinian terrorist group cannot release the hostages it has captured during its war with Israel until a ceasefire deal is reached, a report says. 

The Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted Abu Hamid – a member of a Hamas delegation visiting Moscow – as saying that Hamas needs to locate where Palestinian factions have taken the hostages inside the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters. 

“They seized dozens of people, most of them civilians, and we need time to find them in the Gaza Strip and then release them,” Hamid reportedly said, noting that a calm environment was needed in order to do so. 

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.