Israeli security forces on Tuesday blocked a convoy of hostages’ relatives from reaching the Kerem Shalom Crossing, where they intended to block humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip in an attempt to protest against the failure to secure the release of their loved ones and the lack of aid reaching them.

The protesters demanded that Israel deny humanitarian aid to Gaza as long as the 136 people being held hostage in the Strip remain in captivity without access to essential aid such as medications.

Israel Police said the convoy was halted by the security forces because the border crossing was in a designated closed military zone.

“My son and the rest of the hostages also need humanitarian aid,” Niva Wenkert, mother of hostage Omer Wenkert, who took part in the protest, told the Ynet news site. “My life and my son’s life are in the hands of Hamas and the State of Israel.”

She added that her son needed medication, which he most likely was not getting in Gaza, and that Israel had to demand humanitarian aid for the hostages in return for anything given to Gaza.

Another participant was Ayala Metzger, daughter-in-law of Yoram and Tami Metzger. Tami, 78, was released during the November truce, but Yoram, 80, remains in Gaza.

“It’s time to end this joke. They’ll return in 136 coffins,” she said of the hostages. “Who knows how much longer he’ll survive in captivity? The average [survival time] in Auschwitz was three to four months.”

Yehudit Mevorach, sister of Avinatan Or, told Ynet that she believed that if Gaza were denied fuel and water, the hostages would be released within five days.

“No nation would ever fight such a cruel and emotionless enemy while at the same time giving them aid,” she said.

Religious Zionism party MK Michal Woldiger joined the convoy in a show of support for the families.

“It makes no sense for us to give them goods and equipment while our hostages are still there with no signs of life,” she told the families. “This is not how we will get them back.”

According to Ynet, the families are planning a second attempt to reach Kerem Shalom in the next few days.

Israel has faced intense international pressure to allow aid into Gaza to prevent a humanitarian crisis among the civilian population.

Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of some 1,200 people in Israel, most of them civilians, and with around 240 others taken hostage, of which 132 remain in captivity after a temporary truce that saw the release of 105.

Four hostages were released prior to that, and one was rescued by troops. The bodies of eight hostages have also been recovered and three hostages were mistakenly killed by the military. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 25 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.

Hamas is also holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

Sunday will be the 100th day of the war and the hostages’ captivity and will be marked with a march starting at the Supernova rave site, which was targeted by Hamas terrorists during the attack. Participants will then continue to Jerusalem and then Tel Aviv, where the march will end with a 24-hour protest.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.