Protests across Israel put pressure on Netanyahu to reach hostage deal

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis rallied across the country on Sunday, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas to secure the return of hostages held in Gaza, reported Xinhua.

According to Israel's Ynet news site, around 700,000 people participated in demonstrations on main roads and at junctions nationwide, with 550,000 attending the central rally in Tel Aviv.

The protests began in the morning after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the recovery of six hostages' bodies and continued through the night.

In Tel Aviv, an emotional demonstration took place outside the Kirya military base, the IDF's headquarters. Protesters waved Israeli flags and chanted "A deal -- Now!" Many carried posters featuring the hostages. There are still 101 hostages in Gaza, with about half presumed dead due to either Hamas attacks or Israeli bombings.

Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, addressed the crowd, claiming that there is "a deal proposal on the table" but that Netanyahu refuses to accept it to avoid losing support from his coalition of pro-settler leaders.

Later in the night, thousands of protesters in Tel Aviv set fire on the Ayalon Highway, temporarily blocking the main freeway. Police said they dispersed the crowd and reported at least 12 arrests nationwide.

By nightfall, cinemas, theatres, museums, universities, restaurants, cafes, pubs, and other businesses across the country closed in solidarity with the protest.

The demonstrations are expected to continue into Monday with a general strike. Arnon Bar-David, secretary-general of the Histadrut, Israel's largest workers' organization, announced the strike on live television, accusing Netanyahu of hindering the deal due to "political considerations."

The protests followed the recovery of the bodies of two women and four men from Gaza. The IDF said they were killed in a Hamas tunnel shortly before soldiers arrived.

The six had been captured alive on Oct. 7, 2023, during Hamas's surprise attack on Israeli communities, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of approximately 250 others.

Earlier, Israel announced on Sunday that its forces have recovered the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, reported Xinhua.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a press briefing that the bodies were discovered on Saturday in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area, southern Gaza.

Hagari said that according to an initial assessment, they were estimated to be brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists 48-72 hours before the Israeli troops reached them.

The IDF identified the deceased as Carmel Gat, 40; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23; Alexander Lobanov, 32; Almog Sarusi, 27; and Ori Danino, 25.

All six were taken hostage during Hamas' surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead and approximately 250 others captured.

The Israeli Ha'aretz daily reported that officials familiar with the autopsies of the six hostages said they were all shot in the head. The report said they were not emaciated or starving and would have likely survived if not killed by gunshots. No signs of physical abuse were found on their bodies, it added.

Meanwhile, Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas' political bureau, confirmed in a press statement that the bodies were found by the Israeli army in a tunnel in Rafah but noted that the hostages "were killed by Israeli shelling."

Al-Rishq urged U.S. President Joe Biden to "stop financial and weapons support for Israel and pressure it to end the war immediately" if Biden cares about the lives of the prisoners.

Al-Rishq noted that "Hamas was more concerned about the prisoners' lives than Biden, and that is why it agreed to his proposal in particular and the UN Security Council resolution, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected them."

The Hamas official accused the Biden administration of "surrendering to Netanyahu's conditions aimed at obstructing efforts to reach an agreement."

The return of the hostages' bodies has intensified public outcry against Netanyahu, whom many Israelis blame for failing to secure the hostages' release through a ceasefire deal.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a volunteer-based organization comprised of hostage families, accused the prime minister of abandoning the hostages, urging him to publicly accept responsibility for what it described as a failure to negotiate their safe return.

The organization claimed that the recovery of the bodies was "a direct result of Netanyahu's sabotage of deals," specifically referencing his insistence on maintaining Israeli forces along the Gaza-Egypt border, an area dubbed the "Philadelphi Corridor," despite opposition by both Egypt and Hamas.

Israeli protesters took to the streets nationwide, blocking roads in several cities, including Tel Aviv, Ra'anana and Rehovot. The police said they were dispersing the demonstrators.

However, Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the hostages' deaths. "Whoever murders hostages does not want a deal," he said in a recorded video statement, adding that the Palestinian group refuses to engage in "real negotiations."