In a powerful and emotional act of defiance, tens of thousands of Israelis filled the streets of Jerusalem this weekend, besieging the residences of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials with a single, desperate demand: Secure a deal to bring home the remaining hostages held in Gaza. The mass protest, which has become a weekly ritual, has taken on a new, feverish urgency as fears grow that an intensified military assault on Gaza City could endanger the lives of the captives.
Driven by a collective sense of despair after more than 700 days of captivity, the demonstrators marched from the Chords Bridge to Paris Square, just a short distance from Netanyahu’s home. They carried banners emblazoned with the words “Government of the Shadow of Death” and “Why are they still in Gaza?” The crowd, a mix of families of the hostages and ordinary citizens, chanted, “Traitor,” directly at the prime minister, accusing him of sacrificing the lives of the captives to prolong his political power.
The moral core of the protest was the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which has shifted its strategy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to apply direct pressure on key decision-makers. Family members, including the mothers of abducted IDF soldiers Matan Angrest and Nimrod Cohen, delivered raw, unfiltered speeches that captivated the crowds. “My child will not be sacrificed on the altar of politics,” Viki Cohen, Nimrod’s mother, declared to a roar of support.
The protest unfolded against a backdrop of conflicting signals from the Israeli government and a failed round of negotiations. While Hamas has reportedly accepted a phased deal that would see the release of 10 living hostages and 18 deceased in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire, the Israeli government has dismissed the offer, with Prime Minister Netanyahu now demanding a comprehensive, all-or-nothing agreement that would lead to a complete victory and the disarmament of Hamas.
The demonstration also comes in the wake of the latest propaganda video released by Hamas, which showed two hostages who are believed to be in Gaza City, intensifying the families’ fears. U.S. President Donald Trump has also weighed in on the crisis, noting the size of the protests and raising new concerns about the hostages’ well-being.
As the sun set on Jerusalem, the city’s streets remained a sea of anguished faces, all united in a single, desperate plea. The protests have become a national referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership and his handling of the war, but for the families of the hostages, the political stakes are overshadowed by a far more personal and devastating reality: the life of a loved one hangs in the balance, and time is running out.