Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Tel Aviv, urging the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza on Saturday. The protest came just a day after Israel announced plans to expand its military campaign and take control of Gaza City.
Many demonstrators carried banners and displayed photos of hostages still held in Gaza. They called on the government to prioritise their release. AFP reporters estimated the crowd at tens of thousands, while a hostage families’ group claimed as many as 100,000 participants. Authorities did not give an official count, but the turnout was far larger than recent anti-war gatherings.
Shahar Mor Zahiro, a relative of a slain hostage, sent a strong warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “If you invade parts of Gaza and the hostages are murdered, we will pursue you in the town squares, in election campaigns and at every time and place,” he told AFP.
Government Pushes Forward Despite Criticism
The day before the protest, Netanyahu’s security cabinet approved a large-scale operation to seize Gaza City. This decision sparked heavy criticism at home and abroad. Several foreign nations, including Israel’s allies, urged a negotiated ceasefire to secure the hostages’ release and ease Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis.
Netanyahu, however, stood firm. In a late-night social media post on Friday, he stated, “we are not going to occupy Gaza – we are going to free Gaza from Hamas”.
Israel has been at war for nearly two years since Hamas’s attack in 2023. Many past protests have demanded a hostage deal, pointing to earlier truces where captives were swapped for Palestinian prisoners. Out of 251 hostages taken in the 2023 attack, 49 remain in Gaza, including 27 declared dead by the Israeli military.
Palestinian Authority Condemns Israeli Plan
The Palestinian Authority (PA) denounced Israel’s decision to expand operations in Gaza. PA president Mahmud Abbas called the plan “a new crime” and urged immediate action to stop it. He also highlighted “the importance of enabling the State of Palestine to assume its full responsibilities in the Gaza Strip”.
At the same meeting that approved the Gaza City operation, Israel’s security cabinet outlined post-war plans. These included creating an “administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority”. The PA, established as part of peace efforts, governs parts of the West Bank but has no control in Gaza.
Global Outcry Over Gaza City Operation
Foreign ministers from Italy, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom warned that occupying Gaza City would worsen the humanitarian crisis, endanger hostages, and possibly trigger a mass civilian exodus. Russia also condemned the plan, saying it could deepen the humanitarian disaster already unfolding in Gaza.
Rising Civilian Deaths in Gaza
On Saturday, Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that Israeli strikes killed at least 37 people across the territory, including 30 civilians waiting for aid. According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, a figure the United Nations says is credible.
The war began after Hamas’s 2023 assault on Israel, which killed 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official data.