People demanding the release of hostages kidnapped in the October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip hold banners and Israeli flags in Tel Aviv, Israel, protesting against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Participating in activities.Reuters
Thousands of Israelis demonstrated against the government on Saturday. Some called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the six-month-long conflict in Gaza, as diplomatic efforts to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza stalled.
Officials said terrorists led by Hamas took 253 people hostage in the October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. A November ceasefire resulted in the release of several prisoners, but attempts to reach a new deal through Qatari-Egyptian mediation appear to have stalled.
Relatives and friends of the 129 hostages who remain detained and unreachable are organizing large-scale protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government, amid growing concerns about their safety in Israel.
They have joined forces with activists who have long called for Prime Minister Netanyahu to step down, citing his trial on corruption charges (which he denies) and his attempts to reform the judicial system last year.
“Our country is approaching the abyss. We've already started driving into it and we have to stop it. I'm here to tell people that we need to get out, And to gather strength to tell the government that it's time to stop,” said Marva Erez, 45, one of the protesters in Tel Aviv.
Despite alarm from Washington and other Western capitals over civilian casualties in Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he would continue the war to dismantle Hamas. Medical officials say more than 33,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza.
Hamas said any new hostage deal must bring about an end to the Gaza war and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces.
“There will be a (hostage) deal,” Culture Minister Miki Zohar, a senior member of Prime Minister Netanyahu's Likud party, told Channel 12 television. “But not at any cost.”
Anti-government protests in Tel Aviv were held separately from a smaller vigil for the hostages. Many of those who attended the latter event quickly joined the larger demonstration.
Michael Levy, whose brother Orr was also one of the hostages, said he was protesting because “we don't have time to talk.”
“We need action. We have to bring them home,” he said.
