Mass Protests in Israel Demand Hostage Deal and End to Gaza War

On Saturday evening, thousands of demonstrators gathered across Israel to call for an end to the ongoing war in Gaza and demand a deal for the release of hostages held by Hamas. Protesters flooded Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, with additional rallies taking place at Begin Gate, where the police declared the protest unlawful and began evacuating the crowd. Minor clashes between the police and protesters were reported during the evacuation.

In southern Israel, residents of kibbutzim Be'eri and Nir Oz, located near the Gaza Strip, held their own rallies. In Be'eri, Or Gat, the brother of Carmel, whose body was recovered by the IDF in Gaza, addressed the situation, urging Israel's negotiating delegation to "not return without a deal" to ensure the survival of hostages.

Another significant demonstration occurred in Haifa at Horev Junction, where IDF Maj. Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon condemned the government's handling of the situation, criticizing its failure to address the hostage crisis and accusing the government of prioritizing political survival over national security.

Shira Albag, the mother of hostage Liri Albag, spoke passionately at a demonstration in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, sharing her distress over her daughter’s captivity. The protest also featured speeches from other family members of hostages and fallen soldiers, as well as diplomats including U.S. Ambassador Jack Lew and German Ambassador Steffen Seibert.

In addition to the protests, over 800 parents of active-duty and reserve soldiers serving in Gaza sent a direct letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The letter accused him of sacrificing the lives of hostages and soldiers for political reasons and called for an immediate end to the war. The families demanded that the government negotiate a deal for the hostages' return and spare the lives of the soldiers on the front lines.

The letter also stressed that the war, initially justified after the October 7 Hamas attacks, had now become an endless conflict, with no clear path to resolving the hostage crisis. It emphasized that the hostages would not return without a peace deal that includes an international solution and the end of the Gaza conflict.