Thousands of attendees at weekly rallies demanding the release of Gaza hostages and new elections observed a moment of silence Saturday night to honor the victims of Hezbollah’s deadly rocket attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan that killed 12 people, most of them kids and teens.
Speaking at a protest on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street, former prime minister Ehud Barak reiterated his call for “widespread civil revolt, nonviolent civil disobedience — including shutting down the country” to bring down the government.
On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Force recovered the bodies of five hostages from Gaza. Two of their relatives spoke at the Hostages Square rally on Saturday.
“If we stop sanctifying the lives of all people, we will very quickly lose the ability to live here,” said Gal Goren, son of slain hostage Mia Goren. “But we will fix this. We will demand that all those responsible are brought to account.
“If we don’t bring back the living [hostages] for rehabilitation and bury the last of the slain, Israeli society will collapse from within,” he added.
Maya Ahimas, sister of Staff Sgt. Tomer Ahimas, who was killed defending Kibbutz Nirim and whose body was also returned this week, addressed the other families.
“I’m sorry your loved ones are still not here — it hurts so much,” she said. “Perhaps we are able to breathe again after Tomer’s return, but I can’t breathe deep: It’s unconscionable that there are another 115 hostages, citizens of Israel, who are still in the hands of Hamas, and the world is silent.”
“Our country has no right to exist without them,” she added.
At a press conference ahead of the protests, some relatives of hostages accused Netanyahu of derailing ceasefire-for-hostages talks with his latest proposal to the terror group, which reportedly included various new demands deemed unrealistic by other top officials.
The Tel Aviv anti-government demonstration was held in parallel to the rally of captives’ relatives at nearby Hostages Square. Additional anti-government protests were held in Jerusalem, Haifa, Karmiel, Rehovot and the Amiad Junction in the Galilee. Demonstrators also protested outside Netanyahu’s homes in Caesarea and Jerusalem.
Hundreds of protesters in Jerusalem, marching to Netanyahu’s official residence, refrained from chanting slogans in light of the day’s tragic events, saying the government should similarly wallow in silence and shame for its failures.
“This government has the privilege to do one thing and one thing only, to rescue the hostages and go home in silence… We deserve a government that cares for everyone, Jews and Arabs,” said Tomer Lev, an activist leading the march.
“We will walk in complete silence to show this government exactly what they need to do,” he added.
Prominent liberal rabbi Benny Lau also spoke at the protest.
“The horrific picture of the dead children in Majdal Shams woke us up to the understanding that we are in a difficult war, with an enemy who really wants to destroy us,” he said. “But for the heart of this nation to be whole in this war, we need to return the hostages now.”
Haaretz reported some clashes at the end of the Tel Aviv rally, with police violently dispersing some protesters and detaining at least one.
Netanyahu, who has been in the United States since Monday, moved up his return to Israel by several hours after the rocket attack in Majdal Shams. The premier was expected to be met by protesters when he arrives at Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, around noon.
Earlier Saturday, Israel relayed to the US a new proposal in the talks. The proposal was said to include Netanyahu’s latest demands that Israeli and Palestinian officials said were a non-starter.
“There is a deal on the table, and Netanyahu is assassinating it,” said Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, in a statement preceding the rallies in Tel Aviv. “Today, he conveyed a deal [proposal] that continues the foot-dragging, which the security establishment has already warned would lead to a crisis in the talks.”
Netanyahu had disappointed hostages’ families in his speech to the US Congress on Wednesday, in which the premier failed to commit to a deal.
Speaking in Tel Aviv, Barak said: “A steady baritone and perfect English are no substitute for a total lack of courage, personality, integrity and action rather than words. Netanyahu has none of these things.”
Feminist group Women in Pink held posters at the rally reading: “A good speech won’t save them, a deal would.”
Tens of thousands of Israelis have flocked weekly to the Kaplan Street rallies since early 2023, to protest the government’s planned judicial overhaul. The demonstrations stopped for several months after October 7, but have again picked up steam over the government’s alleged failures in preventing the attacks and in the prosecution of the war effort.
Canaan Lidor contributed to this report.