On Sunday evening, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in central Tel Aviv, concluding a nationwide day of protests and strikes with a call for the government to end the war in Gaza and ensure the release of hostages held there by Palestinian terrorists.
The rally in Tel Aviv was apparently one of the largest since the war began almost two years ago. According to the Forum of Hostage and Missing Families, more than half a million people participated, writes Times of Israel. The forum also estimated that about 1 million people participated in protests across the country throughout the day, as protest groups and organizations joined forces to conduct a major day of civil disobedience after the cabinet voted earlier this month to seize Gaza, despite warnings from senior security officials that it would endanger the lives of the hostages.
According to police, at least 38 people were arrested across the country before the mass rally on Sunday evening, as activists blocked streets and in some cases clashed with police trying to unblock them. After the rally, police reported that six more people were arrested after hundreds of people "disturbed public order," clashed with police, and blocked the Ayalon city highway.
Terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 people abducted during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Among them are the bodies of at least 28 people whose deaths have been confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces. According to Israeli officials, 20 people are apparently alive, and there are serious concerns about the fate of two others. Hamas also holds the body of an Israel Defense Forces soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.
While most hostage families support the protest movement, some disagree with it, believing it plays into Hamas's hands and strengthens their demands, as stated on Sunday by Netanyahu and other right-wing politicians.
Photo: Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90