Israelis erupt in protest to demand cease-fire after 6 hostages die
Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday night, grieving and outraged after six more hostages were found dead in Gaza. Demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, chanting for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a cease-fire with Hamas and bring the remaining captives home. The mass protest, the largest since the war began 11 months ago, marked what many saw as a turning point, with citizens deeply divided over the government’s handling of the hostage crisis.
In a bold move, Israel’s largest trade union, Histadrut, called for a general strike on Monday. This marks the first strike since the war started on October 7, following a deadly Hamas attack that triggered the conflict. The union aims to disrupt key sectors, including banking, healthcare, and transportation, to pressure the government into negotiating a cease-fire. Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for failing to reach an agreement, with opinion polls showing widespread support for ending the fighting. However, a significant portion of the population still supports Netanyahu’s strategy of “total victory” over Hamas, even if that means delaying a deal for the hostages’ release.
On Sunday night, weeping protesters gathered outside Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem, while in Tel Aviv, families of hostages marched with symbolic coffins, emphasizing the human toll. The protesters expressed frustration that cease-fire negotiations had dragged on for months without progress. Shlomit Hacohen, a Tel Aviv resident, voiced the anger felt by many: “We believe the government is making decisions for its own survival, not for the lives of the hostages. We need to make them stop.”
The discovery of six dead hostages, three of whom were reportedly due to be released under a proposed cease-fire in July, further fueled public outrage. “Nothing is worse than knowing they could have been saved,” said Dana Loutaly, a protester in Tel Aviv. The military reported that all six hostages were killed just before Israeli forces arrived to rescue them, blaming Hamas for their deaths.
One of the hostages, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli-American, was a native of Berkeley, California. He had been severely wounded in the initial attack, losing part of his arm to a grenade. His parents, who became prominent advocates for the hostages, met with U.S. President Joe Biden and even addressed the Democratic National Convention in August, pleading for action to bring their son home. On Sunday, Biden expressed his devastation and outrage over the deaths, personally reaching out to Goldberg-Polin’s family to offer his condolences.
The Israeli military identified the other hostages as Ori Danino, 25; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Almog Sarusi, 27; Alexander Lobanov, 33; and Carmel Gat, 40. Autopsies revealed they had been shot at close range, with their deaths occurring either on Thursday or Friday. Their bodies were found in a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, not far from where another hostage had been rescued alive just a week earlier.
Hamas has consistently offered to release the hostages in exchange for an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. However, the cease-fire proposal backed by the U.S. in July was never accepted by Israel, a decision that continues to haunt the families of the hostages. Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said on Sunday that the hostages would still be alive if Israel had agreed to the cease-fire months ago.
Funerals for the hostages began Sunday night. Almog Sarusi’s body was wrapped in an Israeli flag, and his mother, Nira, expressed her anguish over the prolonged suffering: “You were abandoned day after day, hour after hour, for 331 days,” she said during the emotional ceremony. “You and so many other beautiful souls.”
The fallout from the hostage deaths has exposed deep divisions within both Israeli society and the government. Netanyahu has promised to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed, but top military officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have indicated that a cease-fire is the only way to secure the safe return of the remaining hostages. Tensions between Gallant and Netanyahu reportedly boiled over during a security Cabinet meeting last week, with Gallant accusing the prime minister of prioritizing control over a strategic Gaza border corridor at the expense of the hostages’ lives.
Analysts believe the public outcry may mark a significant shift in the political landscape. Nomi Bar-Yaacov, a fellow at Chatham House’s International Security Program, described the protests as “an earthquake,” signaling a potential escalation in pressure on Netanyahu’s government. While Netanyahu still commands a parliamentary majority, his position is increasingly precarious. The war’s conclusion will likely bring investigations into the government’s handling of the October 7 attacks, potentially leading to early elections.
The hostage families have vowed to continue their campaign until every last captive is brought home, with some calling for a “complete halt of the country” to force the government’s hand. For now, the conflict rages on, with Israeli airstrikes continuing in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis worsening by the day.
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