Hostage family members took part in various Knesset committees ahead of the opening of the parliament's summer session on Monday under the banner "You returned from recess, the hostages haven't returned yet," according to The Hostage and Missing Family Forum.
Ella Ben Ami, daughter of hostage Ohad Ben Ami said in one of the committees, "My mother, who returned from captivity after 54 days, does not know herself whether she is a widow or not, and the biggest fear is that I will miss the opportunity to save my father and that my mother will have to live both the shocking experience of a former hostage and be a widow without a husband to help her and strengthen her.
"I ask that in every sentence of your discussion today and when you go to sleep at night remember my mother," she stated.
Yarden Gonen, sister of hostage Romi Gonen, told the members of the committee, "I don't know what the solution is as was suggested here previously but I do know that you can't do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result because this is not what will happen."
Mor Korngold, brother of hostage Tal Shoham, also addressed a Knesset committee, asking "How can I raise my children here? How can I say 'yes' to reserve duty? I went to the army and I know that no one is left behind.
"But for eight months, everyone who sits here abandoned me, the hostages, and their families, and you sit here and speak of the most unimportant subjects" he further stated.
"If something happens to the living hostages or to my brother, we will chase you," Korngold added.
Police clashes with demonstrators in Jerusalem
In parallel, on Monday, demonstrators protested on Highway 1 leading to Jerusalem and in the capital, calling for elections to be held amid the opening of the Knesset’s summer session.
Police said on Monday that during the protest, demonstrators blocked a road leading to the Knesset and sat on it. Forces subsequently removed them.
The police added that it had detained for questioning seven demonstrators on suspicion that they had attempted to block the highway with vehicles and wanted to ignite a fire in the area. The police further said that the suspects did not provide explanations as to why they had with them incendiary materials, wooden planks, tires etc.
The police also affirmed that the seven suspects are expected to be brought to court hours after their arrest.
A statement released by the Brothers and Sisters in Arms movement countered police arguments, noting “there was no intention to set fire to vehicles or block the road,” but rather the “vehicles in the convoy had been burned in advance, without engines, as a symbol of the legacy of the government.” The statement further affirmed there had been no justifiable cause for the arrests.
The movement also asserted that the demonstrators had been at the side of the road and were not blocking traffic.
Later on Monday evening, thousands protested outside the Knesset against the government and called for the return of the hostage, according to Israeli media reports.