Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Israeli cities on Sunday, demanding an immediate ceasefire deal with Hamas after the bodies of six hostages were discovered in Gaza tunnels.
Israel’s largest trade union called for a nationwide strike to shut down the “entire Israeli economy” on Monday, with the support of rights groups, to pressure the government to sign a truce and secure the release of the remaining hostages.
Sunday's demonstrations were the largest since Israel launched its war on Hamas in response to the October 7 attack, which left around 1,200 Israelis dead and 200 taken hostage. Organizers described the rally as an “endless sea of protesters,” estimating a crowd of 300,000 people in Tel Aviv and an additional 200,000 in other cities across the country.
In Tel Aviv, protesters marched to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) headquarters, carrying six “symbolic coffins” and chanting, “We won’t abandon them” and “Now! Now!”
Many blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to secure a deal to bring the hostages home safely.
Frustration intensified when it was alleged that three of the six hostages killed were slated for release during the first phase of a ceasefire proposal discussed in July.
A group of protesters displayed a mock cemetery made of cardboard cutouts, with a sign saying: “named after Benjamin Netanyahu.”
“Nothing is worse than knowing they could have been saved,” one demonstrator told reporters, adding, “Sometimes it takes something so awful to shake people up and get them out into the streets.”
Later in the night, the protests turned violent as demonstrators blocked roads and burned tires. Police deployed water cannons and stun grenades to disperse the crowds. One policewoman was reportedly injured in the confrontation, and dozens of people were arrested.
“During the illegal demonstration, police forces in Tel Aviv arrested 29 suspects who violated orders, attacked officers, and engaged in brutal vandalism,” law enforcement stated on X (formerly Twitter).
Israeli political commentator Sri Goldberg has said Netanyahu should be “worried” about the unrest, explaining that the deaths of the hostages made it clear to many that “the policy of Israel’s government is profoundly detrimental to Israelis – and perhaps, in the case of the hostages, even lethal.”
Meanwhile, Hamas claimed that the hostages were “deliberately” killed by the IDF. In a video addressed to the Israeli army following the recovery of the bodies, the Qassam Brigade insisted that “they were alive and were supposed to be released in the first phase of the deal.”