Tens of thousands of people were expected to demonstrate across the country Saturday evening for the release of remaining hostages held in Gaza, as well as against the renewal of the judicial overhaul and moves to fire key government gatekeepers by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
The main rally against the government led by a coalition of protest groups was set to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square.
After the demonstration, protesters planned to march to Begin Road to join hostages’ families demonstrating there at 8 p.m.
Separately, a rally at Hostages Square at 8 p.m. organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum was to be addressed by freed hostage Iair Horn, whose brother Eitan Horn is still held in Gaza; Eli Shtivi, the father of murdered hostage Idan Shtivi; Bar Godard, the daughter of murdered hostage Manny Godard; Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker; Major General (Ret.) Yom-Tov Samia; and American actor Michael Rapaport.
Rallies calling for the return of the hostages were also set to take place throughout the country.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement Saturday that relatives of those held in Gaza were “urging all Israelis, from every background and political viewpoint” to attend the protests in support of “a comprehensive agreement that will bring all hostages home at once, without delay.”
The demonstrations were set to take place against the backdrop of an ongoing impasse in the hostage negotiations amid the resumption of fighting in Gaza, as well as the government’s passage of key judicial legislation and its highly controversial moves to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
A poll aired Friday by Channel 12 showed that 69 percent of Israelis support ending the war in exchange for a deal that releases all remaining hostages in Gaza, compared to 21% who oppose such an agreement. Even among coalition voters, a majority (54%) back such a move compared to 32% who oppose it.
Last Saturday, over 100,000 people are believed to have demonstrated across Israel, marking the largest day of protests in months as anger boiled over at the government’s failure to reach a deal to free more hostages, compounded by Netanyahu’s moves to fire key officials in a bid to assert greater control over the levers of power.
Protests continued throughout the week, especially in Jerusalem, where thousands of demonstrators rallied against the government’s recent moves, including the advancement of the judicial overhaul plan and the Knesset’s vote on the contentious 2025 state budget.
The protests in Jerusalem also called for the release of the remaining hostages held by terror groups in Gaza.
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip still hold 59 hostages, including 58 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023.
They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives during a ceasefire between January and March.