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All the usual emoting and illogical, hateful nonsense snipped. [IsraelTimes] Thousands of Israelis returned to Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and Begin Road on Saturday night for the first time in three weeks, reigniting weekly demonstrations in support of a hostage deal and protest of the government’s handling of the war.
Liri Albag, one of five IDF soldiers released from Hamas captivity during a brief truce in January-March, delivered an emotional speech before a crowd of some 2,000 people in Hostages Square, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to follow his “brave decision” on Iran with an equally decisive move to secure a ceasefire and bring back the remaining 50 hostages held in Gaza.
“Over the past two weeks, all the headlines were about Iran. My brothers and sisters were pushed aside,” Albag said, referring to Israel’s recent 12-day war with Tehran, which ended Tuesday in a US-brokered ceasefire. “Fifty souls, 50 worlds — and it’s time to bring them back.”
Albag shared harrowing details of her time in captivity, including being disguised in Palestinian garb and marched through Gaza’s streets before being locked with five other women and girls in an underground cage, two by two meters (yards) in size, and barely high enough to stand.
“We were fed a quarter of a pita, a date, and half a bowl of rice a day,” she said. “Every second there is an eternity. This is the reality of the hostages.”
Elsewhere in Tel Aviv, around 1,500 demonstrators gathered at the Begin Road entrance to IDF Headquarters. An Iranian missile struck there earlier this month, and local businesses that once thrived during the protests, including a nearby bakery and cafe, remained shuttered due to damage from debris.
Saturday’s demonstrations were the first weekend protests in three weeks, with rallies paused due to Israel’s war with Iran and the prohibition on large gatherings amid repeated missile attacks.
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