Politics "Day of Disruption": Mass protests for hostage deal in Israel

Thousands of Israelis have demonstrated in Tel Aviv and other cities in the country for a hostage deal with a "day of disruption". At times, they also paralyzed traffic. With the protest, nine months after the start of the war, they want to increase pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate the release of around 120 hostages held by the Islamist Hamas.

On October 7, terrorists from Hamas and other Palestinian groups attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people. In addition, around 250 other people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. The unprecedented massacre triggered the Gaza war. According to Israeli estimates, around 120 hostages are still being held by their kidnappers - including children, women and elderly people. Many of them are probably no longer alive.

Protest starts at the time of the Hamas massacre

The protests began at 06:29 (local time), the time at which the Hamas attack began. Protesters in Tel Aviv carried signs reading "We are all hostages". According to the police, they arrested five demonstrators who were blocking a road junction in the north of the metropolis.

In Jerusalem, protesters sat down on the tracks of the streetcar that runs through the city center. Near the border with the Gaza Strip, activists released black and yellow balloons - for them, the color yellow symbolizes the fate of the hostages. The blockades also disrupted rush-hour traffic. The working week begins in Israel on Sunday.

Possible progress in negotiations fuels protests

Tens of thousands had already demonstrated in Israel on Saturday evening. A video featuring a former hostage was shown on a large screen in Tel Aviv. In it, 22-year-old Almog Meir Jan, who was freed by the Israeli military a month ago, said: "We need a deal so that all mothers can hug their children and husbands, just like I now hug my mother every morning."

The protests were fueled by reports that progress was being made in the negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the USA after a long standstill. Egypt will hold intensive consultations with all sides in the coming days, reported the state-affiliated television station Al-Kahira, citing senior Egyptian government officials. A delegation of senior US officials arrived in Cairo on Sunday afternoon.

The negotiations, which have been ongoing for months, had recently stalled. Hamas has so far demanded an immediate end to the war on the part of Israel in return for the release of the hostages. Israel, on the other hand, wants to keep the option of continuing the war open in order to destroy Hamas as a military formation and governing power in the Gaza Strip.

According to media reports, Hamas has since relaxed its strict demands somewhat. The head of the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad, David Barnea, had resumed negotiations on Friday with the government in Qatar, which is in direct contact with Hamas. Israeli media reported afterwards, citing delegation circles, that there was a certain optimism. Other observers pointed out that Hamas had proposed individual changes to the text of the treaty agreement, but continued to show little movement on the matter.

Distrust of Netanyahu

However, many Israelis also distrust their head of government Netanyahu. One demonstrator, whose son was kidnapped during the terrorist attack in the Gaza Strip nine months ago, shouted during a rally in Tel Aviv, according to the newspaper Haaretz: "Netanyahu, we have seen how you have repeatedly torpedoed the agreements at the moment of truth and torn our hearts to pieces every time."

Meanwhile, the Israeli military continued its operations in the Gaza Strip. The army announced on Saturday that it had attacked several Hamas fighters in the area of a former UNRWA school. According to Palestinian reports, 16 Palestinians were killed in the airstrike and 50 others were injured.

According to the UN, the building complex served as accommodation for 2,000 people displaced in the war. According to the Israeli army, however, the area is said to have served as a Hamas hideout for attacks on the Israeli military. The claims of both sides could not be independently verified.

Further rocket fire on the border with Lebanon

In northern Israel, there were renewed confrontations between the Israeli military and the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah fired 20 rockets and drones at Israel, the Israeli army announced. Most of the missiles were intercepted by the air defense. According to the Lebanese news agency NNA, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack. It was in retaliation for the targeted killing of a Hezbollah member in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, has regularly fired rockets, artillery and anti-tank shells at northern Israel - in its own words, out of "solidarity" with Hamas in Gaza. In return, Israel is fighting Hezbollah positions in the south of Lebanon with air and artillery attacks, as well as targets deep inside Lebanon. There have already been casualties on both sides. It is the most serious escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006.