Former captives rally for Gaza war to end as Israel mulls occupation plan

Hundreds of demonstrators including Israelis released from captivity in Gaza rallied on Thursday in Jerusalem as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his cabinet to review new plans to occupy the Palestinian Strip.

Waving Israeli flags and holding portraits of captives still held in Gaza, the protesters gathered outside Netanyahu's office under the slogan "We will bring them back" and called for an end to the war.

Sharon Cunio, whose husband David is still held in Gaza since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, and Arbel Yehud were among the former hostages who attended the rally.

Yehud's partner Ariel - David Cunio's brother - is also still in captivity, one of 49 captives in Gaza including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

In Jerusalem, Cunio and Yehud held a banner with photos of their partners that read: "Bring back our loved ones."

Hamas says its air, sea and land attack in southern Israel 22 months ago was in retaliation to Israel's years-long blockade of Gaza, attacks against the Palestinians and occupation of Palestinian territories.

Nearby, the Israeli cabinet met to discuss the ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

"The only way to bring the hostages home is to halt the war and end the suffering of the hostages and all those living through this terrible conflict - including Gaza residents, soldiers, families, and all of us," protester Sharon Kangasa-Cohen, a historian, told AFP.

"If they retake Gaza or decide to reoccupy it militarily, the hostages' lives will be in even greater danger, and Israeli society as a whole will be threatened," she said.

Pepe Alalu, a former deputy mayor of Jerusalem and a well-known figure of the city's left wing, said he came to the protest because "I simply couldn't stay away."

"We have to save the hostages," he said, adding that in his view, "Israel has lost its moral compass."