A man holds an air-dropped leaflets from Israeli aircraft, calling on residents to provide information about the hostages held by Hamas in return for financial rewards in [Abed Zagout/Anadolu Agency]
Rafah, January 21 (RHC)-- Israeli forces have dropped leaflets in the southern Gaza Strip, asking residents to provide information about the captives taken by Hamas on October 7, as bombardment of the besieged enclave continues.
The leaflets dropped on Saturday, showed the photos of dozens of captives still in Gaza, together with a message suggesting there would be benefits for anyone providing information to Israel. “You want to return home? Please report if you identified one of them,” read the message, which also listed a phone number and a link to a website containing images and names of the captives in Arabic.
“They are asking people’s help because they are unable to get to their hostages because of the resistance,” said Abu Ali, one north Gaza resident. “End the war, Netanyahu, and get your people back,” he told the Reuters news agency.
The captives were taken during Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel in which more than 1,100 people were killed. Israel has since relentlessly bombarded Gaza, killing more than 24,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
More than 100 of the captives were freed during a short-lived November truce between Israel and Hamas. Israel says 132 remain in Gaza and 27 have died in captivity.
On Saturday in the Israeli capital, dozens of relatives of the captives rallied outside the private residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding he reach a deal with Hamas to ensure their release.
The protesters plan to spend the night in tents outside Netanyahu’s house in the coastal town of Caesarea – some 60km (37 miles) north of Tel Aviv – to protest against his lack of progress. “The protesters said that they wanted Netanyahu to step out and speak to them,” said Al Jazeera’s Laura Khan, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem.
“One person, whose brother is in captivity and whose mother was released in the last deal, said Netanyahu looked her in the eyes and said the captives matter. She believes he’s lying. She said there was blood on his hands,” she added.
