Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in israel on sunday after six hostages were found dead in a Gaza tunnel, expressing frustration with the government’s failure to secure a ceasefire and the release of the remaining captives.
Israeli media reported that approximately 300,000 people assembled in Tel Aviv, while another 200,000 participated in protests throughout the country. Demonstrators demanded that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ensure the release of the remaining 101 hostages. In Jerusalem, protesters blocked streets and gathered outside the prime minister’s residence. Videos showed Tel Aviv’s main highway filled with demonstrators holding flags with images of the deceased hostages. Israeli television footage depicted police using water cannons on protesters blocking roads, with local media reporting 29 arrests. Labor leaders in israel called for a one-day general strike on Monday.
On sunday, the Israeli military recovered the bodies from a tunnel in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza. The deceased hostages—Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino—were returned to Israel. Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed their identities, and an Israeli health ministry spokesperson reported that they had been “murdered by Hamas terrorists with multiple close-range shots” 48 to 72 hours earlier. Facing increasing demands to end nearly 11 months of conflict with a ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages, Netanyahu vowed that israel would not rest until those responsible were apprehended.
The conflict began after Hamas and other militants killed around 1,200 people and took approximately 250 hostages in attacks on israel on october 7, according to Israeli figures. Since then, Israel’s offensive has devastated Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, with the Gaza health ministry reporting at least 40,738 Palestinian deaths. Displaced individuals data-face severe living conditions, including inadequate shelter and a hunger crisis.
In response to growing public anger, Arnon Bar-David, head of Israel’s trade union federation, called for a general strike on monday to pressure the government into reaching a deal. Defence minister Yoav Gallant and opposition leader Yair Lapid also urged for an agreement and support for the Tel Aviv protest. Netanyahu’s office stated that he had apologized and expressed “deep sorrow” to the family of Lobanov, but the family of Gat declined to meet with the prime minister and urged people to join the protests. Gat’s cousin, Gil Dickmann, called on Israelis to demonstrate and disrupt the country until all hostages are returned, stating, “They can still be saved.”
Despite months of intermittent negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, no agreement has been reached, even with increased U.S. pressure and numerous high-level visits to the region. Currently, israel and Hamas have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza for at least eight hours daily from sunday to tuesday to facilitate the vaccination of 640,000 children against polio.