Tens of Thousands of Israelis Protest for Agreement to Release HostagesTens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday night, advocating for an agreement with the Palestinian Hamas movement.
This comes as details emerged about a proposed agreement for the release of hostages that Israel has accepted.
The protest was the latest in a series of weekly demonstrations over the past few months, with the public in Israel demanding an agreement with Hamas and criticizing the Israeli government.
In central Tel Aviv, organizers reported that 120,000 protesters marched on Saturday, calling for new elections and chanting that the current coalition government’s time was up, according to the Times of Israel.
Many protesters also criticized the Israeli leadership for not doing enough to secure the release of those taken by Hamas in October.
Several individuals with family members held in Gaza spoke to the media on Saturday, urging the government to accept the proposal put forward by U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday.
The Times of Israel quoted a woman whose son is held in Gaza. She said Biden’s speech offered real hope for the first time after a prolonged period of despair.
She mentioned that Biden made a public address on Friday, knowing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could reject the agreement.
She added, “Biden wanted the public to know what is actually on the table.” She expressed concern that Netanyahu had not yet publicly agreed to the deal.
Netanyahu reiterated that his conditions for ending the war had not changed, emphasizing that a key condition for this is the destruction of Hamas’s leadership and military capabilities and the return of all hostages, according to a statement from his office on Saturday.
Hamas, on the other hand, insists on ending the war before releasing more hostages.
