Relatives of Hamas hostages urge Netanyahu to make concessions

Relatives of hundreds of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are calling on Benjamin Netanyahu to make significant concessions to secure their loved ones' freedom.

- Jason Burke

The Israeli prime minister has only told families that freeing the hostages is "one of the missions" of the war being waged against Hamas, and has so far not said that he will prioritise obtaining their release above the military objective of destroying the extremist Islamist organisation.

The hostages include infants, dozens of children and many elderly people. They were seized during surprise terrorist attacks on southern Israel last month in which 1,400 people, mainly civilians, were killed in their homes, on streets and at a music festival. Some military personnel are among those captured.

As the initial shock has faded, public anger has grown, with many families of the hostages bitterly critical of the government's response.

In Israel, dozens of rallies were held on Saturday in support of the hostages. In Tel Aviv, a traditional Shabbat dinner table with places for the missing was laid out in front of the city's art gallery.

Yellow ribbons were distributed and the ground covered with pictures of the missing.

Some relatives said they favoured a deal that might include the release of all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli, a demand repeatedly made by Hamas. Others simply spoke of significant concessions.

Maya Moshe said her 75-year-old father, Said, had been killed in the Nir Oz kibbutz by Hamas, which had then abducted her mother, Adina, 72.

The elderly couple had hidden in their home's "safe room", Moshe said, but her father had been shot through its door as the attackers tried to break in. A video clip later emerged showing her mother being taken to Gaza on a motorbike.