Largest-ever hostage rally calls for immediate deal as nation marks 11 months since Oct 7 massacres
Organizers claim 500,000 attend Tel Aviv rally in support of hostage deal
Massive crowds gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to call for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, as Israel marked 11 months since the Hamas massacres on Oct. 7.
As the nation continues to reel from the news of the six murdered hostages last weekend, there is a growing sense that the remaining hostages are running out of time.
As in previous protests, the main rally kicked off at Hostage Square, outside Defense Ministry Headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Protest organizers claimed that 500,000 people participated in the Tel Aviv rally, with another 250,000 joining in other scattered rallies around the country, including in the capital city of Jerusalem. If true, this would mark not only the largest hostage demonstration but one of the largest protest events in Israeli history. Some reports in Hebrew media claimed lower figures, with Maariv reporting around 400,000 nationwide.
Family members of the murdered hostages spoke at the rally, harshly criticizing the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in particular.
Shai Dickman, cousin of one murdered hostage, Carmel Gat, addressed Netanyahu by saying: “You torpedoed a deal and murdered them.”
Andrey Kozlov, who was freed during Operation Arnon in June, spoke about his time in captivity with Alex Lobanov, one of the murdered hostages. He said Lobanov taught him words in Hebrew and shared about his life in Israel.
"I may seem calm, but I am not. I look like everything is under control, but no,” Kozlov said. “None of us are, no one here will ever be if we don't bring back all the hostages from Gaza's tunnels. I'm lucky, I'm blessed – I'm here. Hersh, Eden, Carmel, Uri, Almog, and Alex are gone.”
“We cannot allow this catastrophe to continue to happen, we need to demand that our leaders do whatever is necessary and do the right thing,” Kozlov continued. “We need to bring them home for rehabilitation or burial, for them, for their families and for Israel.”
While the initial rally proceeded peacefully, according to Israel Police reports, groups of protesters then moved to Begin Street, blocking traffic and lighting bonfires.
Reminiscent of the anti-government demonstrations during the judicial reform protests, some of the rioters lit bonfires at the Begin Junction and chanted: “If there is no deal, we will burn down the country.”
At the end of the Tel Aviv protests, the police stated they had detained five individuals for violent behavior.
“The freedom of protest and expression is not the freedom to set fires, block roads, harm the freedom of movement of many and break barriers,” the police said in a statement. “The purpose of the police activity is first and foremost to protect the protestors and their right to protest. Along with this, the duty of the police is to act to maintain order in the public space, and to deal with those who endanger public peace.”
Last Friday, the German magazine BILD published a report regarding a secret document written by Yahya Sinwar, in which he detailed Hamas' war strategy.
The document included tactics such as releasing hostage videos to exert psychological pressure on the Israeli public, aiming to force the government into a hostage deal. It also detailed plans to delay the agreement through repeated requests to modify the terms of the deal.
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The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
