Hundreds of thousands of people crowded in central Tel Aviv on Sunday night, capping a nationwide day of protests and strikes calling on the government to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of the hostages held there by Palestinian terrorists. 500,000 attended the rally, over 1 million protested across the country Sunday; at rally, ex-captives urge Trump to push Israel to ‘end the suffering, make peace’.
Protest groups and organizations joined forces to stage a major day of civil disobedience after the cabinet voted earlier this month to conquer Gaza City despite warnings by top security officials that this would endanger the hostages. The day of protests came alongside a major strike, which was joined by hundreds of local authorities, businesses, universities, tech companies and other organizations, though Israel’s central labor union, the Histadrut, did not join the effort.
Addressing the crowd of hundreds of thousands at the rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, the fathers of two of the hostages accused the government of abandoning their sons in captivity for political reasons. Ofir Braslavaski, father of hostage Rom Braslavski, said that he is watching his son waste away, and can do nothing about it. Videos of Braslavski and hostage Evyatar David were released last week in which they appeared emaciated and deeply distressed. “The entire country saw, all of the leaders saw, but the cabinet chose to expand the war and abandon them,” Braslavski said. “My Rom has no time, the hostages have no time.” “To my beloved Rom, stay strong, please. We love you,” he added.
Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, echoed the accusations against the government: “We’re living under a terror organization that refuses to give us back our children for political reasons,” he said of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. “My son, Nimrod, is suffering so that the government can build settlements in Gaza, and I refuse to let him be sacrificed on that altar,” Cohen continued. “This country won’t return to normality until the hostages are returned in a comprehensive deal and the war ends,” he said. “If the Netanyahu government isn’t willing to do this, then they should quit and allow someone more responsible to do so.”