Calls for mass protests against Benjamin Netanyahu after bodies of Israeli hostages recovered

Two killed in West Bank shooting

Two Israelis have been killed and a third wounded when gunmen opened fire on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli media said they were killed when their vehicle was fired upon near the city of Hebron.

The Israeli military had earlier confirmed a shooting had taken place, saying three people had been wounded and security forces were searching for the attackers.

Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service confirmed two had died and the third was critically wounded.

The Israeli military has been carrying out large-scale military raids in the Palestinian territory.

The news that the bodies of six hostages have been recovered from Gaza has sent Israel into shock.

The names and faces of every hostage are familiar to all Israelis: there is collective national grief at the death of every one of them.

Everybody knows the story of how each hostage was taken on 7 October; they know their hobbies, jobs, and past lives. Their desperate plight, and the suffering of their families praying for news, has become the fabric of society here.

The phrase "Free Hersh" is graffiti on walls or hangs from banners on virtually every street in the neighbourhoods close to where I live in Jerusalem.

Yellow ribbons are tied around lampposts, pillars, tree trunks, you name it.

Posters with the photos of the 251 taken are posted in shop windows, doctors' surgeries, on billboards and through the walkway at Ben Gurion airport so even abroad, their fate is not forgotten.

These six young men and women were the living, some of the few who were supposed to come out alive and be reunited with their families after almost a year in captivity.

That hope is now extinguished. Confirmation of their deaths will reverberate hard; grief will quickly manifest into anger.

The IDF believes they were killed by Hamas, a conclusion likely based on forensic evidence of bullet traces, but many in Israel will blame Benjamin Netanyahu.

It has now dawned on the hostage families and protestors that their prime minister is prioritising the military campaign over a hostage deal.

They might have long feared it, and chosen not to believe it, but the argument between Mr Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday night was the final proof.

The two argued bitterly over Mr Netanyahu’s insistence that Israeli forces remain in parts of Gaza during any truce and Gallant accused the prime minister of deliberately ruining ceasefire negotiations.

Mr Gallant is supported by the military and security establishment. Mr Netanyahu is supported by the extreme right in his cabinet.

Already this morning Yair Lapid, the former prime minister and official leader of the opposition, has tweeted in criticism of Mr Netanyahu: "Instead of doing everything to bring them home, [he] is doing everything to stay in power."

The massive protests, a fixture of Israeli society every Saturday evening, will now likely grow in size and anger.

However, despite their size and passion, they have so far failed to sway Mr Netanyahu.

But the news of the six bodies is a pivotal moment here.

The protestors will no longer be shouting for a hostage deal, no longer pleading for the government to bring them home – they will be fighting to remove Mr Netanyahu from power.

Family of Israeli-American hostage 'devastated'

The family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American hostage who was among the six bodies recovered from Gaza, have said they are "devastated" by the news.

They confirmed the 23-year-old's death hours after the Israeli army said it had located bodies in Gaza.

"With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh," the family said in a statement.

"The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time."

Mr Goldberg-Polin was among the hostages seized by Hamas militants at a music festival in southern Israel on 7 October - and lost part of an arm in the attack.

His parents became the most high-profile relatives of hostages on the international stage - meeting with US President Joe Biden and the Pope and addressing the United Nations.

The bodies of Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino were brought back to Israel, the IDF said in a statement.

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said "they were cruelly murdered shortly before we were to rescue them". 

They were abducted on 7 October and their bodies were found in an underground tunnel in Rafah in southern Gaza on Saturday.

The recovery of their bodies sparked calls for massive protests against Benjamin Netanyahu.

Many families of hostages and much of the wider Israeli public blame the prime minister for failing to bring back the hostages alive and end the 10-month-long war.

"A deal for the return of the hostages has been on the table for over two months," a forum of hostage families said in a statement. 

"Were it not for the delays, sabotage, and excuses those whose deaths we learned about this morning would likely still be alive. It's time to bring our hostages home."

-SKY NEWS