Casablanca – Israel witnessed one of its largest demonstrations since the outbreak of the Gaza genocidal campaign, as around 500,000 protestors took to the streets on Sunday demanding a deal to free hostages and an end to the Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) offensive. 

Organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the protestors swept across the country, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, with demonstrators blocking highways and gathering outside politicians’ homes and IOF headquarters. Many restaurants and theaters also closed in solidarity.

Police reported 38 arrests, while organizers stated that half a million people joined the rally in Tel Aviv alone. The protest culminated in Hostage Square, where families of hostages urged the government to prioritize their release over increasing the IOF offensive. 

Nearly two years into the genocide, 50 hostages remain in Gaza. Israeli officials believe only 20 are still alive. Families of the hostages accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of turning a “just war into a pointless war” by refusing to strike a deal with Hamas.

A recently released video shows one of the hostages, Matan Zangauker, reportedly appearing weak and malnourished. One protester warned that “this is probably the last minute we have to save the hostages.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu has dismissed calls for an immediate truce, claiming the usual baseless talking point that any deal leaving Hamas in power would be “ensuring that the horrors of October 7 will be repeated.”

Far-right members of his coalition, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have threatened to collapse the government if concessions are made. 

The protests came amid worsening conditions in Gaza, where relentless Israeli air and ground assaults have killed more than 61,900 people. The United Nations has warned that malnutrition and starvation are at their highest levels since the start of the genocide, as Israel continues its inhumane aid blockade and man-induced famine in Gaza. 

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