Tel Aviv, MINA – Tens of thousands of Israelis staged mass demonstrations in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, demanding the government reach an immediate ceasefire deal to secure the release of roughly 50 hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
According to The Times of Israel, protesters blocked major highways, demonstrated outside ministers’ homes, and gathered outside the Prime Minister’s Office. The rally culminated in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where organizers said around 350,000 people joined.
The demonstration was organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, marking the second mass protest in August. The group said more than one million people nationwide took part in a similar rally earlier this month, including about 500,000 in Tel Aviv alone.
Throughout the day, protesters shut down major routes, including the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, Highway 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Highway 6, the country’s main north–south artery and the coastal Highway 2. In some cases, tires were set on fire.
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As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside, urging officials to approve a ceasefire framework reportedly accepted by Hamas last week.
The meeting ended without a vote or even a formal discussion of a partial truce. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu told ministers he would only consider a comprehensive framework and vowed to press ahead with expanded military operations in Gaza, including an assault on Gaza City, to increase pressure on Hamas.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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