Thousands gather for weekly protests amid reported progress in hostage deal talks

Amid reports in progress in a new round of talks with Hamas on a deal for retrieving hostages from Gaza, anti-government protesters gather for rallies noting the symbolic 9-month milestone since the October 7 onslaught.

As in previous weeks, thousands of protesters gather across the country from Amiad Junction in the Galilee to Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev. Most rallies are expected to draw dozens to hundreds of protesters.

The main rally is happening on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, where tens of thousands attend weekly anti-government rallies on weekends. Another large one occurs in Jerusalem, as well as in Haifa and Caesarea, opposite the private residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Leaders of the protest movement say they will increase the pressure on the government this coming week in a series of events starting Sunday, including at a demonstration outside the home of Arnon Bar-David, the head of the Histadrut labor union, demanding that the organization participate in protest actions.

In Tel Aviv, the anti-government rally is occurring simultaneously with another weekly rally for the hostages’ release, whose organizers say is nonpartisan. It often features criticism of the government and demands that it accept Hamas’s terms for a deal, which include a temporary ceasefire.

Thousands attend that rally on Hostages Square organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. The theme of this week’s rally on Hostage Square references the 9-month mark.

Organizers, who last week highlighted siblings of hostages, say this week’s rally focuses on mothers, with speeches by Danielle Aloni, who was released from Hamas captivity after 49 days with her 6-year-old daughter Emilia and Simona Steinbrecher, mother of Doron Steinbrecher, whom Hamas terrorists abducted on October 7 to Gaza.