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Thousands of demonstrators in Israel have come down to the street to demand the end of the war in Gaza and an agreement to release the captives held there, while the army intensifies attacks against Gaza City to force tens of thousands of Palestinians hungry to flee.
Israeli schools, companies and public transport have been closed, with demonstrations planned in large cities as part of a national day of action by two groups representing a number of families of captives and bereaved families.
The demonstrators, who fear that new fights will endanger the 50 captives which should remain in Gaza, of which about 20 are considered alive, have sung: “We do not win a war against the hostages.”
“Military pressure does not bring the hostages back – that only kills them,” said former captive Arbel Yehoud during a demonstration in the so -called “hostage square” of Tel Aviv. “The only way to bring them back is to make an agreement, at the same time, without games.”
The police said they arrested 32 as part of the national demonstration – one of the fiercest since the outcry of more than six captives found dead in Gaza last September.
Sunday rallies intervened just a few days after the Israeli security firm approved the plans to advance on Gaza City, almost two years in a genocidal war which has devastated the enclave, left a large part of its population on the starfishand led Israel to be more and more internationally insulated.
The so-called “hostage square” of Tel Aviv, the activists deployed a huge Israeli flag covered with the faces of captives still held in Gaza. The demonstrators also blocked the main roads, in particular the highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where the tires were on and traffic stopped, according to local relationships.
The removal forum and missing families, which represents the parents of those who have been held, said a national strike. “We will close the country today with a single call: bringing the 50 hostages, putting an end to the war,” said the group, committing to degenerate their campaign with a protest tent near the Gaza border.
“If we don’t put them off now – we will lose them forever,” warned the group.
In Jerusalem, companies closed when demonstrators joined the steps. “It is time to end the war. It is time to release all hostages. And it is time to help Israel recover and head for a more stable Middle East,” said Doron Wilfand, a 54-year-old tourist guide addressing the AFP news agency.
Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat and consul general in New York, told Al Jazeera de Tel Aviv that, although the demonstrations are distributed across the country, the participation rate has remained relatively low.
“The number of people is quite small … I expect it to increase during the day,” he said, noting that many stores, restaurants and universities have been closed, public transport operating half. “It is not a general strike in the sense that people are considering, but it’s palpable, it’s tangible, you can feel it in the air.”
On Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to troubles, Pinkas was scathing. “Most Prime Ministers have resigned after October 7 … He is not only another Prime Minister. He only cares about his survival. He is motivated by certain messianic delusions of REDEMBER THE MIDDEN-East. “”
Pinkas added that Netanyahu deviating the anger of the public by blaming “the elites” and a “deep cabal” rather than taking responsibility.
The Israeli government condemns demonstrations
President Isaac Herzog expressed his support for the return of captives, urging international pressure on Hamas rather than taking into account the calls to stop the war.
But government personalities were unleashed during the demonstrations.
The Minister of Israeli Far -right Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, denounced them as “a perverse and harmful campaign that plays in the hands of Hamas”, while the Minister of Culture Miki Zohar said that blocking the roads “is a serious error and a reward for the enemy”.
The police have strengthened its presence across the country, warning that no “disturbance of public order” would be tolerated. Demonstrations also took place near the Gaza border, notably in Beeri, a Kibbutz seriously struck during the attack led by Hamas in October 2023. More than 61,000 Palestinians were killed, the majority of women and children, in an Israeli offensive which was nicknamed genocide by several groups of rights.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yaov Gallant received arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for War Crimes.
Meanwhile, Egyptian officials said efforts were underway to negotiate a 60 -day truce that would include captive versions. A previous series of talks in Qatar collapsed without progress. The last trace accepted in January Broken by Israel in March.
The plan of Israel to extend the offensive in the city of Gaza encountered an international alarm, while the experts supported by the United Nations warn against famine through the territory.
