Protesters demanding a hostage deal took to the streets on Friday evening, blocking highways and rallying outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem. This demonstration comes as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced a nationwide day of protests for the following Tuesday. The protests are in response to Israel’s plans for a major offensive to capture Gaza City, a move that families of the captives fear will endanger their loved ones.
In Tel Aviv, demonstrators blocked traffic on the Ayalon highway near the Hashalom interchange. Social media footage showed protesters unfurling banners with the message “Stop until they’re all back” and setting a Shabbat meal table on fire. Protesters criticized Netanyahu, stating that while he “sits at the Shabbat table, hostage families are forced to spend Friday in fear for the fate of their loved ones.”
Nationwide Protests and Public Outcry
Protesters also set up a mock Shabbat table and blocked traffic on Route 6 near the Elyakin Interchange in northern Israel. “There will be no Shabbat meal anywhere in the country until everyone’s back and the war ends,” they declared, according to Ynet.
Outside the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, protesters set up another Shabbat table with a message urging Netanyahu to “leave the Shabbat table and move to the negotiating table.” Pictures of remaining hostages were placed on seats around a table set for a meal, symbolizing the food given to captives in Gaza.
Yael Adar, the mother of slain captive Tamir Adar, addressed the crowd, criticizing Netanyahu for prioritizing military action over negotiations. “Instead of heading south for meetings on conquering Gaza, you should go up to Jerusalem to convene the cabinet and say one thing — ‘I’m sending a negotiating team, and [they’re] not coming home until there is a deal to bring back all the hostages,” she urged.
Upcoming Mass Protests
The Hostages Forum announced plans for a “day of mass public identification” with the captives on Tuesday to maintain pressure on the government. Protests will occur nationwide, with a central rally at Hostages Square at 8 p.m. following a march from the nearby Savidor train station.
The announcement follows Netanyahu’s vow to take over Gaza City and hold talks on a hostage release deal, which has drawn criticism for not addressing a partial ceasefire-hostage deal accepted by Hamas. “We are in the midst of another premeditated torpedoing [of a deal] by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” the Forum stated in a press release.
Historical Context and Public Sentiment
Last week’s protest in Tel Aviv was one of the largest since the conflict began nearly two years ago. According to the Hostages Forum, over half a million people participated, though official police estimates were not available. The Forum estimates that around 1 million people joined protests across the country, with various groups staging a major day of civil disobedience to end the war in Gaza.
These rallies were supported by strikes at hundreds of local authorities, businesses, universities, and tech companies, although the central labor union, the Histadrut, did not participate. The protests reflect widespread frustration with the government’s handling of the hostage situation and the ongoing conflict.
By the Numbers: Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and the body of an IDF soldier killed in 2014. Twenty of the hostages are believed by Israel to be alive, with 28 declared dead by Israeli authorities and “grave concerns” for the well-being of two others.
The Hostages Forum insists that last Sunday’s protests were “just the beginning,” and aims to rally support for the hostages, soldiers, and evacuees affected by the ongoing conflict. “This coming Tuesday, Israel will rally to the side of the hostages, to the side of the soldiers exhausted by the burden, to the side of tens of thousands of evacuees waiting to return to their homes in safety,” the Forum declared.
As the situation develops, the protests underscore the urgent demand for a resolution to the hostage crisis and a broader end to the conflict in Gaza.
