Protesters in Israel demand ceasefire and hostage release

Protesters gathered on August 25th near the air base of Hatzerim, close to Beersheba in southern Israel, demanding that pilots halt bombing campaigns on Gaza and stop committing war crimes, according to Radio France Internationale.

Previously on August 9th, thousands of Israelis had taken to the streets to call for an end to the war and the return of hostages. On August 26th, a new day of nationwide mobilization will be launched by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which is urging for mass demonstrations to pressure the Israeli government into accepting a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Efrat, an activist with the Forum, explained the significance of the date. “The Israeli population wants the liberation of all hostages. A deal is possible, but every day that passes puts hostages in danger. We cannot let this occasion slide,” he said.

The day’s programme includes road blockages, marches, and symbolic acts such as mothers marching with their babies to demand an end to the war, the public listing of hostages’ names outside ministers’ residences, and demonstrations during a security cabinet meeting.

The main rally has been set for Tel Aviv. “We hope that, during the evening, tens of thousands will march towards Hostages Square, followed by a large gathering where families will once more call for unity and urge the government to sign the ceasefire deal, stop the war, and bring everyone home,” said Efrat.

Although no general strike was declared, this new push for solidarity has received backing from major companies, especially in the high-tech sector, as well as several public institutions, which would authorize employees to leave work to join protests.

In a statement, the hostages’ families accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “deliberately sabotaging” negotiations and of being disconnected from reality. But observers remain skeptical about whether these mobilizations will have any real impact.

“It will be a massive movement. There will certainly be hundreds of thousands of Israelis marching in Tel Aviv and other cities,” said Israeli journalist and ex-Labour member of parliament, Daniel Bensimon. “But last week there was already a similar mobilization, almost a million people, and nothing changed. Will the government be affected by this march? Will it change its policy? I doubt it. This is more of a popular response to what is happening in Gaza. The government remains unmoved. Mister Netanyahu remains almost obsessive about this war. He wants to stay in Gaza. Nobody is able to make him shift from there.”