The protesters are demanding that the Israeli government take further steps to reach a ceasefire agreement and secure the release of Israelis still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
Thousands of Israelis staged a mass protest, blocking roads in Tel Aviv as part of what they called a “day of disruption.”
Nine months into the Gaza war, the rally began at 6:29 a.m. local time, the exact moment Hamas launched its first rockets ahead of its October 7 incursion into Israel.
Hamas members killed some 1,200 people in the surprise attack and took 250 others hostage.
Chanting “Deal now,” they demanded that the Israeli government take further steps to reach a ceasefire agreement and secure the release of Israelis still held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“Fair and Eitan were abducted on October 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, under the watch of Mr. Netanyahu. It is now his responsibility, he has been wasting his time for nine months. We demand an agreement now. It is the only solution,” said protester Dalia Kushnir-Horn, whose sister was among those held captive by Hamas.
Tel Aviv is the scene of such mass protests every week, which also have a political dimension. Many protesters are calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold new elections and resign.
They accuse him of putting his political survival before the lives of Israeli hostages.
Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas moved closer to a possible ceasefire deal after Hamas appeared to back away from demanding that any agreement include a complete end to the war.
Both sides have often blamed each other for the lack of progress in the ceasefire negotiations and significant gaps remain.
One of Hamas’s main demands was a permanent cessation of hostilities and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza. For its part, Israel has accepted in principle only temporary pauses in the fighting, saying that its priority is the complete destruction of Hamas.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.
About 120 hostages remain in Gaza, after more than 100 were released under a ceasefire deal reached in November.
Israel has concluded that more than 40 of the remaining hostages are dead, and there are fears that the number will rise as the war drags on.
