Israel in motion: strike and large demonstration for freedom of Hamas-Geiseln

With strikes and protests, numerous Israelis have expressed their solidarity with the hostages, which have been captured by Hamas in the Gaza Strip for almost two years. In the evening, more than 200,000 people gathered in the center of Tel Aviv, as the organizers announced, citing police estimates. They loudly demanded the release of the hostages and an end to the Gaza War, as a reporter from the German Press Agency observed.

The forum of the hostage members had called for a nationwide strike for Sunday – the beginning of the Israeli working week. The country should be “paralyzed” that day, they announced. Already in the morning, demonstrators blocked numerous streets in the country, including a central expressway in the Tel Aviv coastal metropolis. They swiveled blue and white Israeli flags and yellow flags that symbolize solidarity with the hostages.

The mighty trade union roof association Histadrut did not join the strike, but expressed understanding of the step. Numerous companies and municipalities strike as an expression of solidarity. The two big theater in Tel Aviv also stopped their performances. According to the police, more than 30 people were arrested. In Jerusalem, water cannons were used against demonstrators.

Even in the large demonstration in the evening, speakers and participants demanded the end of the Gaza war and the immediate release of the Hamas Geiseln. In addition, they called on the Israeli government to reverse its decision, to take the city of Gaza and other areas in the Gaza Strip. “The Israeli government never made a serious attempt to get the hostages through a comprehensive agreement,” said Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is one of 20 living hostages in the Gaza Strip. “She made the most justified war a wrong.”

The trigger of the Gaza War was the attack by Hamas and other Islamist groups on Israel on October 7, 2023. In the unprecedented massacre, the terrorists killed around 1,200 people and more than 250 more than hostages in the Gaza Strip. Since then, almost 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Palestinian Health Authority. The number does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.

Relatives of German Geisel beg for his rescue

The aunt of Alon Ohel, who is also a German citizen, said on the “Square of the hostage” in front of the Tel Aviver Art Museum: “Our Alon is forty meters underground. He is tied up in chains, heavily wounded and probably loses his eyesight. He suffers from serious head injuries and splinters all over the body. immediate danger to life – saves him! ”

Several former Hamas Geiseln who were released during a ceasefire in the spring kept a saying band with the inscription: “Bring them home now!”

The Israeli Hollywood actress Gal Gadot (40) also scored hostage members on the square in Tel Aviv. On a video of the hostel families forum, Gadot comforted the wife of a hostage, held her hands smiling and then hugged her tightly.

At a rally on the square, the sister of an agricultural student from Nepal, who had also been dragged into the Gaza strip on October 7, 2023 on October 7, 2023, also spoke the sister from Nepal. There has been no sign of life from him for two years, she said in tears. Out of a total of 50 deported, only 20 are alive according to Israeli information.

The right -wing extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the protest actions in a post on platform X a “bad and harmful campaign that Hamas plays into its hands”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also criticized the protests. “Those who demand an end to war today without defeating Hamas not only harden the attitude of Hamas and delay the release of our hostages, but also make sure that the horrors of October 7 will repeat themselves and our sons and daughters have to fight again and again in an endless war,” he said, according to his office at a cabinet seat.

Preparations for the expansion of the Gaza War

The government is still planning to expand the devastating war in the coming weeks, in which, according to the Ministry of Health, which was previously controlled by the Hamas, around 62,000 Palestinians have been killed. The aim is to take the city of Gaza and other parts of the coastal strip. The Israeli chief of staff Ejal Zamir said the new missions should start soon. During a visit to troops in the Gaza Strip, he said that they wanted to reinforce the strokes against Hamas, “until their decisive defeat”.

Israel is already preparing the relocation of civilians. The military authority Cogat announced on Saturday on the X platform that the delivery of tents and equipment for the accommodations will be resumed on Sunday. This is part of the preparation of the evacuation of the population from combat areas. By Sunday afternoon there was no information on whether the announced delivery was made.

Indirect negotiations of Israel and Hamas at the end of the war and the release of the hostages had remained unsuccessful. The Israeli President Izchak Herzog visited the place in the Tel Aviver City Center and asked international decision -makers to put pressure on Hamas so that it expires the hostages. “I want to say to the world: Stop hypocrisy!”