Israelis are increasingly demanding the release of hostages held by Hamas, as well as an end to the killings in Gaza. Thousands of people blocked roads in various cities, including the capital Tel Aviv, on Tuesday. They declared a "Day of Disruption" and took to the streets. They were seen burning tires and blocking roads.
Protesters expressed anger at the Israeli government, saying, "In the name of war, only destruction and loss of life are happening in Gaza, while there is no guarantee of the release of prisoners." For this, they demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Many of the protesters displayed placards with pictures of prisoners. They demanded the immediate release of at least 50 Israeli citizens held hostage by Hamas in Gaza for two years. Israeli security forces believe that 20 of them are still alive.
Doron Steinbrucker, a former hostage freed from Hamas, spoke about his experiences on the protest stage. "I am free, but many of my friends are still imprisoned in Gaza. I will not forget them," he said.
However, analysts believe that it will be difficult for Netanyahu to decide to stop the war despite growing public discontent within the country. They say that the Netanyahu government is surviving by relying on the hard-right. And right-wing ministers have clearly warned that the government will collapse if the war in Gaza is stopped. As a result, this public discontent will not have a practical impact on the ongoing Gaza war.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said that at least 75 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours. Of these, 9 have died of starvation due to food shortages. The Gaza Health Ministry said that the number of people who have died of starvation has reached 303, of which 117 are children. More than 62,000 people have been killed in the besieged Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate Israeli attacks so far. The number of injured has exceeded 150,000.
In the context of Israel's unbridled attacks on Gaza and its disregard for international law, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has now taken the initiative to try to suspend the country's membership in the United Nations. OIC member states have been called upon to make a concerted effort to suspend Israel's membership.
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the war in Gaza would end very quickly. In his words, "there will be a good, final end to the situation in the next two to three weeks." On the other hand, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has described the Israeli regime as "the most hated regime in the world."