The family of Israeli hostages, still in Gaza, sailed towards the Palestinian enclave on Thursday.
Hostages and missing family forums, as well as the opposition and the majority of Israeli people, are strongly opposed to the expansion of the operation, claiming it puts their loved ones at risk.
When the fleet departed from the port of Ashkelon in southern Israel, Rior Holev of the Hostage Family Forum told CNN that sailing was a “SOS call.”
“Unfortunately, we cannot enter Gaza and return our loved ones to our home, but this is Mayday’s appeal to the Israeli government,” he said.
Israeli security ministers will be convened on Thursday to vote for a full re-occupying of Gaza. This is a move marking a massive escalation of conflict after nearly two years of war on the territory.
At least 61,158 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on October 7, where the Health Ministry reported Wednesday. According to the ministry, the humanitarian situation is now devastating, with at least 193 people hungering for death, including 96 children.
Earlier this week, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had decided to “completely conquer” Gaza.
“The Cabinet’s decision to extend the war would be a death sentence for the living people, making it impossible to return those who were killed in Hamas and who were still held in Gaza,” Horev said.
They sailed towards Gaza as a boat decorated with Israeli flags and yellow ribbons and balloons symbolized their efforts to save the hostages.
“We are closest to hostages on the maritime border with Gaza, so we can hear our voices and know that we are fighting in our powers and we will not give up until they come back,” they said in a statement from the forum.
Hamas and its allies still hold 50 hostages in Gaza. The Israeli government believes at least 20 people are alive, but 28 have been declared dead.
Gaza is completely blocked from the outside world, both on land and on sea, and the fleet was unable to get close to the coast as Israeli forces restrict traffic within miles of the boundary line.
Standing on one deck of the boat, Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod Cohen has been held captive for 22 months, told CNN he believes that continuing the war would “put hostages directly in danger.”
“We want it all to stop. We want the world to help Netanyahu to stop it. We want to end the war and get a hostage contract,” Cohen told CNN.
