Netanyahu in the Gaza Strip: Urgent demand for freedom from hostages!

Netanyahu in the Gaza Strip: Urgent demand for freedom from hostages!

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently visited the northern Gaza Strip, accompanied by senior officials including Israel's defense minister and the military chief. The visit, which took place on April 15, 2025, served to emphasize the urgency of releasing Israeli hostages and achieving all war aims. Netanyahu received a security briefing on the military effort to free the hostages and the fight against Hamas. However, the exact location of his visit has not been disclosed and there is no confirmation yet of Hamas' claim that contact with one of its hostage guards has been lost. This was Netanyahu’s first visit since July 2024.

The pressure on Hamas is part of a strategy that also includes the creation of a “safe zone” in the north of the Gaza Strip. Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to permanently seize parts of the area to increase pressure on the militant group. The Gaza war, which has been ongoing since the massacre by Hamas and other Islamists on October 7, 2023, has already saved the lives or released almost 200 hostages. However, 59 hostages are still held by Hamas and are being held in extremely inhumane conditions.

The situation of the hostages

Currently, 24 hostages have been held by Hamas for 521 days. Reports from released hostages document horrific abuse, torture and even murder by Hamas. The hostages still held include IDF soldiers abducted during the attack on October 7, 2023, as well as civilians from various backgrounds and nationalities. Among these are Edan Alexander, Matan Angrest and twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman. The latter are kept separate, but their families receive information that they are alive.

Additionally, Hamas and Israel have used military pressure to reach agreements in the past, however the recent ceasefire agreement remains unstable. The hostages are in a fragile state and while some, like Elkana Bohbot and Rom Braslavski, were kidnapped during celebrations, the fate of others was long uncertain.

• Edan Alexander (21), IDF-Soldat
• Matan Angrest (22), IDF-Soldat
• Gali Berman (27), Zwillingsbruder
• Ziv Berman (27), Zwillingsbruder
• Elkana Bohbot (35), multinationale Staatsangehörigkeit
• Rom Braslavski (21), Sicherheitspersonal
• Nimrod Cohen (20), IDF-Soldat
• Ariel Cunio (27), gefangen mit Freundin
• David Cunio (34), Bruder von Ariel, Teil eines Abkommens

The humanitarian situation in Gaza and the ongoing conflict cast a long shadow over the future of the region and the fate of these hostages. Israel is focused on holding those responsible accountable and strengthening existing agreements. The ongoing conflict is not only the focus of military strategies, but also calls for solutions to eliminate the inhumane conditions in which the hostages are forced to live.

For further information about the background to the conflict and current developments, you can read the reports from Vienna.at, Jewish General and the documentation in Bundestag read up.