Relatives of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip once again demonstrated outside the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, levelling serious accusations against him.

“We are here, and we won’t move from here,” said Ofir Braslavski, father of Rom Braslavski, who also holds German citizenship.

He said that Mr Netanyahu had promised him in a phone call one and a half months ago that he “would bring back the boy”.

Instead, Mr Netanyahu “did the opposite”, having done “everything not to bring him back”, he said.

“The blood is on your hands,” Mr Braslavski said.

At the end of July, gruesome videos were released showing Rom Braslavski and another hostage severely emaciated.

Anat Angrest, the mother of hostage Matan Angrest, accused Mr Netanyahu of sacrificing the remaining living hostages with the recently launched ground offensive in Gaza City.

She also addressed soldiers participating in the operation, as well as their mothers.

“If they too were to be kidnapped by the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas, “this government will not bring them back,” said Ms Angrest.

The Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other Islamist terrorists launched an attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and abducting more than 250 to the Gaza Strip.

There are 48 hostages remaining in the Palestinian territory, of whom Israel believes 20 are still alive.

More than 65,000 Palestinians in the coastal territory have been killed in the conflict so far, including numerous women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.

(dpa/NAN)