Israel Faces Unrest as Mass Protests Break Out After Hamas Executes 6 Hostages
Over 500,000 Israelis have marched in the streets, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urgently secure a deal to bring back all hostages.
Israel has been engulfed in massive protests following the tragic deaths of six hostages in Gaza at the hands of Hamas.
On Monday, around half a million people gathered in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other cities, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take more action to rescue the remaining 101 hostages.
Protesters are advocating for the government to agree to a cease-fire deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
Standstill
The head of the Histadrut union, representing numerous workers across various sectors, called for a 24-hour strike on Monday.
“This is not a matter of right or left; it is a matter of life and death. All the heads of the security establishment support the deal, and it is the government’s responsibility to bring our hostages home. It is inconceivable that our children will not return because of narrow considerations and interests.”
Some services at Ben Gurion Airport were halted, workers at Haifa’s main port were on strike, hospitals were operating partially, and banks were closed.
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Footage showed police using water cannons to disperse the protesters blocking roads. There were reportedly 29 arrests.6 Hostages
Early Sunday, Israel announced the discovery of the remains of six hostages in Gaza who were killed by Hamas shortly after another hostage was rescued by an Israeli operation.
The bodies of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino were brought back to Israel, as confirmed by military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
A forensic examination revealed that they were “murdered by Hamas terrorists in a number of shots at close range” 48–72 hours earlier, according to an Israeli health ministry spokesperson.
Israel’s conflict with Gaza began after Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages in attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Urge the Public
Hostage and Missing Families Forum—a campaign group dedicated to bringing the hostages back to their families—urged on the social media platform X:
“Yesterday, over half a million people flooded the streets across Israel, demanding an immediate deal.
“Today, the hostages’ families once again urge the public to leave the comfort of their homes and take the streets. They call on everyone to continue the fight alongside them for a deal to bring all hostages home.”
“Whoever murders hostages does not want a deal,” he emphasized.
He asserted that those who murdered the abductees have “blood on their heads.”
Israeli leaders have been under pressure to accept a deal for months, although ongoing negotiations with Hamas have not yielded results.
Senior Hamas officials blame Netanyahu.
“Netanyahu is accountable for the killings of Israeli prisoners,” stated senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri to Reuters.
“The Israelis must choose between Netanyahu and the deal.”
Joseph Lord and Reuters contributed to this report.
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