Gaza hostages' relatives storm Israeli parliamentary committee session as protests mount

A group of relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas militants stormed a parliamentary committee session in Jerusalem on Monday, demanding that the lawmakers do more to try to free their loved ones. 

The action by about 20 people signalled growing domestic dissent in the fourth month of the Gaza war. 

Some 130 remain held in Gaza after others were brought home in a November truce. 

US, Qatari and Egyptian efforts to mediate another release seem far from reconciling Israel's drive to destroy Hamas and Hamas' demand that Israel withdraw and free all of the thousands of Palestinians - including senior militants - from its prisons. 

The fate of the hostages - 27 of whom Israel says have died in captivity - has riveted the country. But the relatives fear that war fatigue could soften that focus. Demonstrations that initially promoted national unity have become more aggressive. 

Demonstrators have also been camping outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coastal home as well as the Knesset building, some demanding an unilateral end to the war or an election that might topple the hard-right government. 

Reuters