Israeli Protesters Demand a Deal for the Release of Hostages

Thousands of protesters flooded streets in cities across Israel on Sunday night to demand that the government immediately accept a deal for the release of hostages held in Gaza, staging one of the largest demonstrations the country has seen in months after the Israeli military announced the recovery of six dead hostages.

In Tel Aviv, hostage families and a crowd of supporters carried six prop coffins in a march through the city, blocked its main highway and swarmed in front of the Israeli military headquarters. In Jerusalem, the Israeli police used water cannons to spray skunk water, a noxious crowd control weapon, and forcefully removed people who rallied in front of the city’s main entrance.

Protesters gathered in smaller cities, too, including in Haifa and Beer Sheva, Israeli media outlets reported. In Rehovot, in central Israel, people blocked traffic and chanted, “We want them back living, not in coffins!”

The families of many hostages have long accused the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of sabotaging efforts for a deal for his own political gain. They have taken increasingly aggressive steps to try to pressure him into action, including protesting in front of his Jerusalem home and storming a Parliament meeting.

The families’ frustration appeared to reach a boiling point on Sunday after the Israeli military said that six hostages had been found dead.

Their blood was on the hands of the Israeli government, said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group that represents some of the relatives, and it called on the public to “bring the nation to a halt.”