Thousands of people have protested across Israel after the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were found by the army, sparking nationwide outrage.
Protesters, many carrying Israeli flags, poured into major cities, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, demanding the government reach a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attacks.
Sunday’s protests were largely peaceful – but crowds broke through police lines, blocking a major highway in Tel Aviv.
The protests came as Israel’s main labor union, the Histadrut, called for a nationwide general strike on Monday, urging the government to reach a deal.
Reuters
ReutersThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said earlier that six bodies were found on Saturday in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.
The hostages were identified as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Sergeant Ori Danino.
The IDF said they were killed shortly before the army closed in on Saturday.
The incident sparked protests on Sunday, as crowds accused the government of not doing enough to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
In Tel Aviv, protesters broke through police lines to reach the Ayalon highway on Sunday night.
The crowd chanted slogans including “police, police, who are you protecting” and “shame, shame”. Some lit fires in the street and hung yellow ribbons – a symbol of solidarity with the hostages – from a bridge above.
Naama Lazimi, a Labour Party lawmaker, told the BBC she suffered minor injuries after police fired a stun grenade and she fell.
She described the protests as “meaningful and important”, but said “the question is what happens tomorrow”.
Among the protesters was Eli Shtivi, whose son Idan is being held hostage in Gaza.
“We hope the decision makers will wake up,” he told the BBC. “We don’t have time anymore.”
He said people from all walks of Israeli society took part in Sunday’s protest, united in their desire to free the hostages.
“I miss my child so much. All the families are like hostages,” Mr. Shtivi said.
Noga Burkman, another protester in Tel Aviv, told the BBC she “can’t stay at home any longer”.
“People understand that now we need to break the rules and do something,” she said, adding that “tonight is just the beginning.”
Elsewhere in the city, the rally saw a variety of protesters join in, including a group of young boy scouts leading the chants.
Some climbed onto buses and trash bins to get a good view of the parade, while others surrounded a man wearing a mask of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, chanting: “Live, live, we want them alive.”
Another held a sign that read: “You are the leader. You are responsible.”
In Jerusalem, a huge crowd of protesters gathered outside the prime minister’s office.
A 50-year-old man told the BBC the protests were much bigger than any before. “Today is a completely different ball game,” he said. “A different scale than anything before.”
Among those at the Tel Aviv protest was Yotam Peer, 24, whose 21-year-old brother was killed in Hamas attacks on 7 October. He told the BBC: “After we heard about the six hostages, we couldn’t stay silent any longer. It was really important. We had no other choice.”
Local media reported that opposition leader Yair Lapid was present. The former prime minister, who heads the Yesh Atid party, had earlier backed calls for mass strikes to force Netanyahu to negotiate the release of the hostages.
Calling for a general strike, union leader Arnon Bar-David said: “We must reach an agreement. An agreement is more important than anything else.”
“We are getting body bags instead of a deal,” he added.
The families of the hostages have been pushing for a nationwide strike as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire between Netanyahu’s government and Hamas for weeks.
The Hostage Families Forum said the six captives, whose bodies were recovered by Israeli troops, were “murdered over the past few days, after surviving nearly 11 months of abuse, torture and starvation while in Hamas captivity”.
“The delay in signing the agreement led to their deaths and the deaths of many other hostages,” the report said.
The prime minister said he was committed to securing a deal to free the remaining captives and protect the country’s security. But he said: “Anyone who kills hostages does not want a deal.”
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was quick to condemn the general strike, claiming it represented “Hamas interests”.
But others have voiced their support. Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said city workers were free to join the strike on Monday “as a sign of solidarity with the abductees and their families”.
It is unclear how many hostages remain in Gaza. Hamas kidnapped 251 people and killed 1,200 others in an attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel has launched a retaliatory military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. More than 40,530 people have been killed there since October 7, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
