Hundreds of thousands of protesters gather in Tel Aviv to demand end to Gaza war

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Tel Aviv to call for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages, one of the largest demonstrations in Israel since the start of the fighting in October 2023.

The rally on Sunday evening was the culmination of a day of nationwide protests and a general strike to pressure the government to halt the military campaign. “Bring them all home! Stop the war!” shouted the vast crowd, which had converged on the so-called Hostage Square in Tel Aviv plaza – a focal point for protesters throughout the war.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, the initiator of the day of protest, estimated that about 500,000 people joined the demonstration in Tel Aviv – a figure not confirmed by the police. “We demand a comprehensive and achievable agreement and an end to the war,” said Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan and a leading figure of the protest movement.

“We demand what is rightfully ours – our children. The Israeli government has transformed a just war into a pointless war.”

National media published a video message by Matan Zangauker on Sunday, in which the hostage, weak and emaciated, addressed his family and told them he missed them. The video was filmed by Hamas and found in Gaza by the army, the family said.

“This is probably the last minute we have to save the hostages,” demonstrator Ofir Penso, 50, told AFP.

The protests come more than a week after Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to capture Gaza City, 22 months into a war that has created a dire humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group vowed on Sunday that protesters would “shut down the country” with the goal of bringing back the hostages and ending the war.

Throughout Israel, demonstrators blocked roads, set tyres on fire and clashed with the police. More than 30 protesters were arrested, law enforcement said.

Netanyahu criticised the protesters, saying their actions “not only harden Hamas’s position and draw out the release of our hostages, but also ensure that the horrors of 7 October will reoccur”.

View image in fullscreen Vast crowds in Tel Aviv demanded the government abandon its decision to fully occupy Gaza City and sign a prisoner exchange agreement. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Egypt said in recent days mediators were leading a renewed push to secure a 60-day truce deal that includes hostages being released, after the last round of talks in Qatar ended without a breakthrough.

Some Israeli government members who oppose any deal with Hamas criticised Sunday’s demonstrations. Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, decried a “perverse and harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas” and calls for “surrender”.

However, Benny Gantz, an opposition leader, condemned the government for “attacking the families of the hostages” while “bearing responsibility for the captivity of their children by Hamas for nearly two years”.

Israel’s military offensive has killed at least 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, most of them civilians. The figure does not include the thousands believed to be buried under rubble or the thousands killed indirectly as a consequence of the war.