JERUSALEM, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Israeli hostages released during the first phase of the recent ceasefire took to social media on Tuesday to voice their fear and anger over the resumption of Israel's airstrikes on Gaza, urging the government to resume negotiations.
Yarden Bibas, who was freed in early February in a prisoner swap after 484 days in captivity, called on the Israeli government to prioritize securing the release of the remaining 59 hostages through negotiations rather than military pressure that could risk their lives.
His wife and two young sons were killed in Gaza during his captivity.
"Israel's decision to return to fighting brings me back to Gaza, to the moments when I heard the sounds of explosions around me and feared for my life, fearing that the tunnel where I was being held might collapse," he wrote.
"I am petrified for my best friends, David and Ariel Cunio (who are still held in Gaza)," he said, adding that it is not too late to secure their release through a deal.
"We must stop the fighting and bring everyone home," he added.
Romi Gonen, who was among the first group of three hostages released by Hamas in January, recalled with horror "the moment in captivity when I heard the booms after the (first) agreement collapsed and realized I would not be freed anytime soon." She appealed to the Israeli government: "Get them out! This is the most urgent thing!"
Omer Wenkert, another released hostage, wrote: "Returning to fighting? Did you listen to a word of what we, the returnees released in the last deal, have been saying? Do you see us?" He added, "The sense of being forsaken is the strongest I have ever felt."
Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported that hundreds of families of hostages were marching on Road 1, which connects Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, demanding the government secure the release of the hostages through a deal with Hamas. Earlier, the families issued a statement saying that upon arriving in Jerusalem, they would establish a protest camp in the city.
The two-month-long Gaza ceasefire was shattered overnight as Israel launched airstrikes across the enclave, killing more than 400 people and triggering international condemnation. ■
