Watan-The recorded footage showed Israeli evacuees from the Gaza envelope attacking the families of prisoners, demanding a cessation of the war and the release of their relatives held in the sector.

These scenes documented intensifying verbal exchanges and confrontations between the two sides, each organizing a demonstration to express their stance.

A displaced woman was seen defending the presence of the Israeli army in Gaza, refusing to stop the military operations in the sector.

She stated that she cannot return home without the completion of the army’s mission in this war and expressed her rejection of a prisoner exchange deal.

She pointed out that Israel would face more attacks in the coming period if the war is not completed. Another woman stated that Hamas is escalating its demands due to the protests of the families of prisoners in Gaza.

She supported the return of prisoners from Gaza but called for giving the government the opportunity to continue its work, indicating a desire to continue the war on Gaza, even if the cost is returning prisoners as corpses.

نازحون إسرائيليون من غلاف #غزة يهاجمون أهالي الأسرى خلال مطالبتهم بوقف الحرب واستعادة ذويهم المحتجزين في القطاع #الجزيرة_مباشر #طوفان_الأقصى pic.twitter.com/CPCFlqz9Mx

— الجزيرة مباشر (@ajmubasher) January 27, 2024

Netanyahu and Smotrich criticize the families of prisoners

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that protests by the families of prisoners in Gaza are not helpful; instead, they increase the demands of the Hamas movement and delay the return of the prisoners. He emphasized that his goal is to eliminate the authority of Hamas and that he cannot allow armed forces to remain in the Gaza Strip, insisting that the war will not end until the mission is completed.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that those who tell the families of prisoners that they will release the detainees are not telling the truth. He asserted that only by eliminating Hamas can the prisoners be recovered, and protests raise the price demanded by Hamas.

He explained that Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, aims through the prisoners only to dismantle the Israeli society and expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the war.

Netanyahu’s statements angered the Families of Prisoners Committee

In response, the Families of Israeli Prisoners Committee detained in the Gaza Strip expressed their anger after Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech. They expected the Prime Minister to remember that he is an elected official, and his job is to correct failures, not to rebuke those whose family members were kidnapped.

The committee added that if the families do not garner world and public support for the release of the prisoners, they will end up like Ron Arad, the Israeli pilot missing since the 1980s.

مظاهرات كبيرة في تل ابيب، وصدامات مع الشرطة الإسرائيلية؛ تطالب باسقاط حكومة نتنياهو، وإيقاف الحرب على #غزة، وإعادة الاسرى الإسرائيليين. pic.twitter.com/slXt6DMVAk

— مفتاح (@keymiftah79) January 27, 2024

Police suppress protest by families of prisoners

This escalation occurred amid clashes between occupation police and protesters in Tel Aviv holding signs demanding the departure of Netanyahu’s government. The police arrested several demonstrators angered by Netanyahu’s statements regarding the ineffectiveness of protests calling for the release of those kidnapped in the Gaza Strip.