Massive protest in Israel against war and absorbing agreement on hostages

“We are stuck between a terrorist organization that holds our children and a government that refuses to get them free for political reasons.” That said Yehuda Cohen last night, the father of a man who was taken to Gaza at the terror attack of Hamas of 7 October 2023 as a hostage

Cohen participated in one of the greatest manifestations against the Israeli government since the start of the Gaza War. The requirement: an end to that war and release of the Israeli hostages who have been held there for almost two years.

According to the organizations of hostages and their families, 500,000 people were on the move in Tel Aviv and an equal number elsewhere in Israel. There is no official count.

If the numbers are correct, 10 percent of the inhabitants of Israel participated:

The protest in Tel Aviv also participated ex-guys who had been released this year or earlier in an exchange with Palestinians in Israeli prisons. They addressed President Trump directly with the message: ensure that our government concludes an agreement with Hamas because she will not do that by herself.

That was also apparent yesterday from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s reaction: “Those who want a long way before Hamas is defeated, not only reinforce the position of Hamas and not only slow down the release of the hostages. They also ensure that the horrors of 7 October 2023 will repeat themselves.”

Gaza City

The Israeli government opted for continuation of the war earlier this month. She also wants to occupy Gaza City, one of the last two areas that are not yet under control of the Israeli army. When the offensive starts is unknown, but the suburb Zeitoun has been bombed for a week.

It is believed that Hamas in Gaza City will at least keep part of the approximately fifty remaining hostages hidden. About twenty of them would still be alive. The Israeli army and also the demonstrators are afraid that they will die in the coming combat acts or be killed by Hamas before they can be freed.

In addition, they are worried about the dead and injuries who will fall on the side of the Israeli army at a new offensive.

Anger about the fate of the Palestinians is hardly there. The largest Israeli news organizations hardly report on the starvation of Palestinians, other human rights violations and the genocidal violence in Gaza. On the other hand, they do pay attention to reports that play down the messages about it.

Reporter Israel and Palestinian areas Sander van Hoorn

“Most demonstrators are still not about the fate of the Gazans in the first instance. Everyone knows someone who is hit on October 7, 2023 or someone who is in the army is about. The involvement with the fate of the hostages is huge, just like the cynicism of most people about the reasons of Premier Netanyahu Om but by/P>

Still something is changing. More and more often you hear these types of demonstrations – especially if you talk to people for a little longer – worries about the fate of the people in Gaza.

That is often not direct, but runs through worries about the image of Israel abroad. Or through the moral reasoning that a people who survived the Holocaust should not come close to something that looks like the same actions.

But also more and more often immediately: it has been enough. We cannot kill or expel everyone and so there will be ‘a day after the war’ and that is now. Hamas is no longer a factor, let’s leave Gaza alone in the hope that they will also leave us alone. “We don’t see the images on our own TV, but there is famine there. We know.”

You hear it more often, even unsolicited. To usually get out of the first reasoning: “But if Hamas releases the hostages tomorrow and puts down the weapons, there is no war and no more hunger.”