Thousands of Israelis gathered in central Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest the government’s decision to expand its military operations in Gaza, just a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved a controversial plan to seize Gaza City.
The protest, organized by families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the group’s October 2023 attack, drew a massive turnout.
According to AFP reporters on the scene, the crowd numbered in the tens of thousands, though the group representing hostage families claimed the demonstration attracted up to 100,000 people.
Protesters held aloft signs, chanted slogans, and displayed photos of their captured loved ones, demanding urgent action from the government to negotiate their release.
“We will end with a direct message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: if you invade parts of Gaza and the hostages are murdered, we will pursue you in the town squares, in election campaigns and at every time and place,” Shahar Mor Zahiro, relative of a slain hostage, told AFP.
On Friday, Netanyahu’s security cabinet approved a sweeping military offensive targeting Gaza City.
The decision has sparked condemnation both at home and abroad, with several foreign governments including allies, urging Israel to consider a negotiated ceasefire to secure the release of hostages and relieve worsening humanitarian conditions in the Strip.
Despite criticism and reported concerns among senior military officials, Netanyahu has stood firm. In a Friday night social media post, he reiterated the government’s position:
“We are not going to occupy Gaza, we are going to free Gaza from Hamas.”
Public protests have become a regular feature throughout the nearly two-year war, with many Israelis urging the government to strike deals, similar to earlier truces where hostages were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
Of the 251 people taken hostage during Hamas’s initial 2023 attack, 49 remain in captivity, including 27 declared dead by the Israeli military.
In a sharply worded response, the Palestinian Authority denounced Israel’s latest military escalation, branding it a “new crime” against the Palestinian people.
According to the Wafa news agency, Palestine President, Mahmud Abbas urged the international community to intervene:
“The plan constitutes a new crime. There is an urgent need to take action to stop it immediately.”
He also emphasized that Palestine must be empowered to fully assume its responsibilities in Gaza, indicating the PA’s interest in regaining administrative control over the territory.
Meanwhile, in the same session that approved the Gaza City operation, Israel’s cabinet also outlined a broader post-war vision. The plan includes the creation of a new governing authority for Gaza — one that excludes both Hamas and the PA.
Currently, the Palestinian Authority administers parts of the West Bank, but has had no presence in Hamas-controlled Gaza since the militant group took control in 2007.
