More protests erupted in major Israeli cities on Saturday, reigniting calls for the government to reach a hostage deal with Hamas. The demonstrations were spearheaded by nonprofits such as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which marked over 300 days since the hostages were taken on October 7th, 2023. Protesters targeted the residences of key Israeli politicians, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and MK Aryeh Deri, demanding that they either broker a deal with Hamas or resign from their positions. Among the 115 hostages still held in Gaza are several very young children.
Last month saw similar anti-government protests across Israel’s major cities, aiming to pressure authorities into reaching a deal with Hamas. Demonstrators blocked roads and mobilized in front of government officials’ homes. They marched to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, calling for immediate elections and an urgent hostage deal.
In Tel Aviv, thousands assembled, where Einav Zangauker, whose son is among the hostages, protested by isolating herself in a cage from a bridge over Begin Road. She accused both Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar of holding the region hostage.
In Kibbutz Or Haner, near the Gaza border, demonstrators hung black balloons to remember each person killed in the conflict and yellow balloons for every hostage still in Gaza.
Saturday’s demonstrations closely followed the dramatic assassination of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, by Mossad, the Israeli spy agency. Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, according to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard-affiliated Tasnim news agency. Hamas quickly accused Israel of the assassination. The Times of Israel reported that Israel recruited agents within Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to plant explosives in Haniyeh’s safehouse. This assassination has significantly complicated negotiations between Israel and Hamas.