Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 17, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 17, 2025
Protesters block major Jerusalem highway, calling for hostage deal and end to war
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Protesters block Jerusalem's Begin Boulevard as part of a nationwide strike for the release of the hostages in Gaza on August 17, 2025. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)
Protesters calling for a hostage deal and an end to the war are blocking a major highway in Jerusalem.
The marchers, who are blocking Begin Boulevard to traffic, set out from Hebrew University’s Givat Ram campus this morning.
Organizers intentionally kept the march’s final destination under wraps, telling protesters to “follow the drummers” without elaborating.
The drummers suddenly pivoted in the first few minutes of the demonstration.
Police have declared the protest illegal but have not yet started arresting demonstrators sitting on the pavement.
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