Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets over the weekend, demanding an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas. The largest demonstration filled Tel Aviv’s “Hostages Square” on Sunday, with organisers warning that government plans to seize control of Gaza City could endanger the lives of about 20 hostages still in captivity.
The protests, which included a one-day national strike, disrupted traffic, shut down offices, and forced universities to close in several areas. Nearly 40 people were arrested as demonstrations spread across the country.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the protests, claiming they would “harden Hamas’s stance” and slow efforts to bring hostages home. Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich also lashed out at the demonstrators, calling the campaign harmful and accusing it of playing into Hamas’s hands.
But families of hostages insisted they would not relent. Einav Zangauker, mother of Matan, who is still held in Gaza, told the Tel Aviv crowd that the government had turned “a just war into a pointless war.” Holding back tears after a video of her son was released, she declared: “We demand what is rightfully ours our children. My heart burns with longing. We are doing everything we can for you, for all the hostages.”
The protests came just a week after Israel’s war cabinet voted to occupy Gaza City and forcibly displace its population, a move condemned by the UN Security Council. Since then, thousands have fled southern Gaza’s Zeitoun neighbourhood amid days of relentless bombardment, which local officials described as catastrophic. Gaza’s civil defence agency said at least 40 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday alone.
Israel has announced plans to forcibly relocate up to a million people from Gaza City to makeshift camps in the south, though it has not given a clear timetable. Aid officials said the army has begun allowing humanitarian agencies to bring in tents and other shelter materials in preparation for mass displacement.
According to the United Nations, more than 1.9 million people roughly 90 percent of Gaza’s population have already been displaced since the war began. UN-backed experts have warned that famine is taking hold, with widespread malnutrition reported across the Strip.
The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which the UN has said remain credible.
As the death toll mounts and families of hostages grow more desperate, the protests have become the largest public challenge yet to Netanyahu’s handling of the war, signalling deepening divisions within Israel over how the conflict should end.