On Saturday night, Dec. 16, thousands gathered in Tel Aviv to demand that Israel negotiate a release of all remaining hostages with Hamas in the wake of the IDF’s killing of three Israeli hostages. According to some reports, the demonstration numbered in the tens of thousands. Demonstrators charged that Israel is prioritizing the war over the release of hostages.
Reports by the New York Times on interviews with some of the demonstrators indicate that Israel’s killing of hostages has instigated new calls for peace and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down. The Times quotes demonstrator Efi Toledano, who said, “We were taught that when there’s a war, we are all to be quiet and support the soldiers,” but that the deaths of the hostages indicate that Netanyahu is willing to continue the war even at the expense of more hostages.
