Protesters rally in Jerusalem, demanding elections, hostage deal

Demonstrators are gathering in central Jerusalem for a procession toward the city’s Paris Square, rallying for the release of Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas.

An enormous banner reads “Elections now!” as protesters are drumming, preparing the crowd to march.

Many are holding signs with messages such as, “There is no greater mitzvah [commandment] than the redemption of hostages”— a rabbinic statement that has become a calling card of protests for a hostage deal. Other signs say “Their time is running out!” and “Hostages home!”

The protest, which kicked off with a havdalah ceremony marking the end of Shabbat, comes following a dramatic week, in which Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dithering on a “day after” plan for Gaza.

It also comes shortly after a speech by Minister Benny Gantz, who gave Netanyahu a June 8 deadline to formulate a plan for post-Hamas Gaza, saying he will leave the coalition if the prime minister fails to do so.

“A lot of people understand now is the time to put a lot of pressure,” Orly Erez-Luhovsky, Executive Director of the Reform Movement’s Religious Action Center, tells The Times of Israel.

Luhovsky will speak later tonight when the demonstrators arrive at Paris Square.

“We will not give up until things are better here!” the protesters are singing, a familiar refrain from the protests last year against Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms.