Demonstrations calling for an end to the war in Gaza and demanding a hostage release deal were held across Israel on Saturday evening.
Thousands protested on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv. A demonstration also took place at Begin Gate in the city, Ynet reported, where police declared the protest unlawful and began evacuating hundreds of people at the scene, with minor clashes reported between police and protesters.
Rallies for a deal were also held at kibbutzim Be’eri and Nir Oz bordering the Gaza Strip. In Be’eri, Or Gat, the brother of Carmel, whose body was recovered by the IDF in Gaza, referring to Israel’s negotiating delegation for a deal, saying, “Do not return without a deal! Or there will be no hostages left alive to return.”
Hundreds attended a demonstration in Haifa at the Horev Junction. At the protest, IDF Maj. Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon said, “We have three missions – a hostage deal and an end to the war in Gaza, the establishment of a state investigation committee into October 7, and stopping the despicable law of draft evasion.
“This is a government that abandons the hostages to their deaths, abandons the reservists and soldiers alone on the front lines, and abandons the security of the country in favor of political gains.”
At a demonstration at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Dr. Mazen Abu Siam, Rahat City Council member and friend of the late Yosef AlZayadni, will start the speeches at the rally, followed by Shira Albag, mother of hostage Liri Albag, Jack Lew, the outgoing US Ambassador, accompanied by German Ambassador Steffen Seibert and British Ambassador Simon Walters, Nira Sarusi, mother of the late Almog Sarusi, Yael Adar, mother of the late Tamir Adar, and Nissan Kalderon, the brother of Ofer Kalderon.
Police arrested a protester at Karkur Junction near Zichron Ya’acov, where 1,000 people were at a protest calling for a deal to be made, as well as demanding that a state investigation committee be established. The protester was escorted to a nearby police station.
Hamas released likely video of hostage earlier
Earlier, Hamas released what is likely a hostage video preview on its Telegram channel titled “Soon, Time Is Running Out” as hostage families prepare for the rally.
In the preview, Sharon Alony Cunio introduces herself while facing a camera. Sharon was a hostage who was released in the November 2023 hostage deal with her two children. Her husband, David Cunio, remains captive in Gaza.
In a second preview, text appears in Hebrew, Arabic, and English, stating that after Sharon left, “David has either been killed, injured, or is in good health.” The video then states on a new slide, “Netanyahu has not decided yet.”
Hostage families speak out
Shira Elbag, the mother of hostage Liri, who appeared in a Hamas propaganda video last week, said “I stand here, exactly one week after receiving proof of life from my Liri, and my heart just wants to scream. Liri, our light, just 19 years old – a child with her whole life ahead of her, is there, in captivity, in hell.
“But this isn’t our Liri. We saw a Liri who was depleted, frightened, fighting for her life every moment and every minute of the day. Look at her eyes that scream from within: ‘Get me out of this hell. Don’t forget me.’ This video isn’t just proof of life. It’s a cry for help.”
Mandy Damari, mother of hostage Emily Damari, the last remaining British-Israeli citizen in captivity, spoke at Sha’ar HaNegev and addressed President-elect Donald Trump, saying that her daughter “and all all of the remaining hostages are in hell… Starving, dehydrated, in dirty rags, and a bucket for a toilet. Watched over by men who want to murder her or rape her.
Maariv Online contributed to this report.
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