Thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv last Thursday, calling for a ceasefire and hostage deal, while emphasising the need for the revival of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The march was led by Standing Together, a unified Jewish-Palestinian peace movement within Israel.
Alon Lee-Green, the group’s Jewish co-director, indicated that the march, which comprised both Jewish and Palestinian protesters, was aimed at halting the war, ending the occupation and fostering an Israeli-Palestinian peace that symbolizes freedom, equality, and independence.
The public outcry for a ceasefire and subsequent release of hostages comes amidst a climax in tensions, as Israel ordered 100,000 people to evacuate Rafah, and began striking targets following the refusal of a ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas.
Sally Abed, one of the group’s Palestinian leaders, quoted on X (formerly Twitter), mentioned, “Only when we are all free and equal, can we all be safe and prosper.”, underlining the cruciality of unity and equality in achieving peace and prosperity.
Families of hostages have been insisting the government to formulate a deal with Hamas for their loved one’s release, instead of prolonging the offensive in Rafah. Earlier this week, family members of the hostages halted a major highway in Tel Aviv and sparked protests in Jerusalem for the same cause.
In the absence of a ceasefire and hostage agreement, a majority of Israelis, including Jewish Israelis, seem to be prioritizing a hostage deal over an invasion of Rafah. However, hostages’ families and critics argue that the Israeli government has pushed the hostages and their families to the backburner, as evidenced by the lack of a ceasefire and incidents such as the IDF shooting three hostages in Gaza.
The ongoing conflict has raised international concerns, with more than a million people, constituting roughly half of Gaza’s population, currently seeking refuge in Rafah. While Israel asserts that it needs to invade Rafah to dismantle Hamas operations and liberate the remaining hostages, the international community has voiced fears regarding such an invasion escalating what is already a dire humanitarian crisis.
More information on the event can be found here.