Nationwide protests erupt in Israel to demand end of Gaza war

An estimated 500,000 people gathered in Tel Aviv on Sunday to call for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza and the release of hostages in one of the largest protests in Israel since fighting began in October 2023. Subscribe ► http://bit.ly/guardianwiressub Along the Green Line ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43oZ0yUDG8E&list=PLa_1MA_DEorGnakB7QV1Q_LBpHgtGQDxi The rally on Sunday evening was the culmination of a day of nationwide protests and a general strike to pressure the government to halt the military campaign. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group vowed protesters would “shut down the country”, with the goal of bringing back the hostages and ending the war. “We demand a comprehensive and achievable agreement and an end to the war,” said Einav Zangauker, a leading figure of the protest movement whose son Matan is being held by Hamas in Gaza. The protests came more than a week after Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to capture Gaza City, 22 months into a war that has created a dire humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory. Israel’s military offensive has killed at least 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, most of them civilians. The figure does not include the thousands believed to be buried under rubble or the thousands killed indirectly as a consequence of the war. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, criticised the protesters, saying their actions “not only harden Hamas’s position and draw out the release of our hostages”, but also ensured that “the horrors of 7 October” would reoccur. #gaza #hamashostages #october7 #israelprotest #telaviv #telavivprotests #israelihostages #gazahostages #gazagenocide #gazawar #palestine #benjaminnetanyahu