Protests Surge Across Israel as War With Hamas Enters 9th Month

While some focused on bringing down Netanyahu’s government and others on achieving a two-state solution, Israeli protesters who spoke to The Media Line were united in their call for a hostage release deal

As the war with Hamas entered its ninth month on Sunday, protesters gathered throughout Israel to call for a cease-fire and demand Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation.

For months before October 7, protest groups opposed to Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms held weekly rallies throughout Israel. These demonstrations paused briefly after October 7 and resumed with demands for new elections as well as government accountability for allowing the largest massacre in Israel’s history to take place.

Recently, the main antigovernment protest in Tel Aviv aligned with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group calling for the release of the Israelis still held in Hamas captivity. Protest groups have also demonstrated against a law exempting ultra-Orthodox men from otherwise mandatory military service. Israel’s Supreme Court later struck that law down.

In Jerusalem, thousands of protesters marched to Netanyahu’s residence, demanding immediate elections and a deal for the release of the roughly 120 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Protesters voiced frustration with Netanyahu’s leadership, accusing him of abandoning the hostages and dragging his feet on negotiations.

In Tel Aviv, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is a captive, protested by being suspended from a bridge in a cage, as she criticized Netanyahu for not taking decisive action. Signs at the protests called out Netanyahu directly, saying the government had abandoned the hostages and urging the prime minister to secure their release.

Nationwide demonstrations also targeted other government officials, blocking highways and holding rallies, reflecting widespread discontent with Netanyahu’s handling of the war and hostage situation. Protesters highlighted the government’s failures and demanded accountability and new elections, insisting that the continued conflict and legislative actions benefiting Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners further undermined public trust. The demonstrations were part of a larger “week of resistance” that intensified the call for governmental change and a resolution to the hostage crisis.

Netanyahu on Sunday evening outlined what he described as Israel’s non-negotiable demands ahead of new hostage negotiations with Hamas in Cairo and Doha. These included the ability to resume fighting after a prisoner exchange deal is implemented. The prime minister’s stance caused frustration among Israeli officials and mediators, who accused him of purposely derailing the negotiations.

Hamas indicated over the weekend a shift in its demands, expressing willingness to discuss a hostage deal without an upfront commitment from Israel for a permanent cease-fire. The discussions come as the US-backed phased truce and hostage exchange proposal seeks to establish a temporary cease-fire and the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Israeli security officials and opposition leaders criticized Netanyahu’s demands, fearing they might undermine the negotiation efforts.

Mediators seek to maintain flexibility in transitioning from the first to the second phase of the agreement, ensuring both parties are committed to continuing talks without resuming hostilities. The proposal includes a six-week cease-fire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated Gaza areas, and the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The Media Line talked to protesters in Tel Aviv, all of whom chose to remain anonymous, about their perspectives on the situation in Israel.

Today we came because we demand elections. This government is taking this country downhill very fast.

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“We come to protests almost weekly,” one protester told The Media Line. “Today we came because we demand elections. This government is taking this country downhill very fast.”

She explained that she and her fellow protesters disagree with the government’s decision to continue the war in Gaza.

“There is no reason to be in Gaza anymore. It is now happening only because of the political ambitions of Netanyahu,” she said.

“We have many criticisms about the government, especially about the prime minister,” another protester told The Media Line. “The most important thing is releasing the hostages. We are worried that there are all kinds of political preferences in the way he makes decisions this time.”

Protesters gather for a rally to call for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7 and for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s resignation, in the central city of Tel Aviv, July 7, 2024. (Dario Sanchez/The Media Line)

A third protester told The Media Line she was protesting for a two-state solution.

We believe in the solution of two countries. We believe in the possibility that two people can live together side by side.

“Now the government is really [on the] right,” the third protester said. “They are extreme, fascist people that are willing to keep on fighting until they occupy Gaza again. But we don’t believe in it. We believe in the solution of two countries. We believe in the possibility that two people can live together side by side.”

She said that the events of October 7 did not shake her convictions.

“I still believe that a two-state solution is the only solution. All of this happened because of the Palestinian issue and how we treated it for so many years,” she said.

Another man in the crowd chimed in: “Seventy-five years of war is not a solution. It didn’t work. So maybe we can try another direction.”

Some protesters were focused on electing a new government to help Israel recover from the ongoing war.

“We want a wide government, regardless of views or nationality, that first of all starts to build this country again, to unite the people and to recover the south and the north,” one such protester told The Media Line.

Others kept their focus on releasing the hostages still held in Gaza.

“We are here to support the hostages and their families. There were a couple of opportunities to make a deal, and this government failed to use it. Now, for us, it’s a matter of both solidarity and protest,” a protester told The Media Line.

All the important hard decisions in Israel about releasing the hostages were made by public pressure. We just can’t be quiet.

“All the important hard decisions in Israel about releasing the hostages were made by public pressure. We just can’t be quiet,” another protester said.