Tens of thousands of people marched through Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Israeli protesters’ demand for a hostage deal as cabinet meets was the message they carried. They want an end to the Gaza war and the safe return of all hostages.
The day began with demonstrations at dawn. Protesters blocked roads in the city’s commercial center. They waved Israeli flags and held up pictures of those taken. Many gathered near the U.S. embassy and outside ministerial homes. Later, as evening fell, the crowd swelled in “Hostage Square.” There, they beat drums, sounded air horns, and chanted: “The government is failing us. We won’t give up until every hostage is home.” One protester said, “I’m here first and foremost to protest, and to call for the government to make a deal and bring all the hostages home and to end the war.”
Meanwhile, the security cabinet met that evening. Israeli protesters demand hostage deal as cabinet meets made their appeal loud and clear. The cabinet had approved a plan in early August to take control of Gaza City. That raised fears about the safety of the remaining hostages and spurred this wave of protests.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke afterward. He refused to say much. “We have just come from a cabinet meeting. I don’t think I can elaborate too much,” he said. He added this: “It started in Gaza, and it will end in Gaza. We will not leave those monsters there.”
This comes amid growing pressure at home and abroad. Israeli media and the public are uneasy about further military action. International critics and aid groups also warn of worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Mediators, including Qatar and Egypt, have offered a ceasefire plan. It calls for the phased release of hostages over 60 days. Hamas said it accepted the proposal. Now, Israel faces rising calls to respond.
Hostage families are deeply frustrated. Ruby Chen, whose son was abducted in October 2023, accused the government of putting the destruction of Hamas ahead of freeing hostages. She said the prime minister “believes it is OK … to sacrifice 50 hostages for political needs.”
Elsewhere, Israel struck a Gaza hospital yesterday. At least twenty people died, including five journalists. The military said it targeted a Hamas surveillance camera. World governments condemned the strike and demanded answers.
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