TEL AVIV, Aug 10 — The streets of Tel Aviv pulsed with emotion on Saturday night as more than 100,000 people gathered to make their voices heard: stop the war, bring the hostages home, and choose life over endless violence.
Families, retirees, young parents with strollers, and friends holding hands filled the city’s main avenues. Their message was clear — enough is enough. The protest came just a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced plans to seize Gaza City, signaling a dangerous escalation of the nearly two-year-long war.
“This isn’t just a military decision. It could be a death sentence for the people we love most,” said Lishay Miran Lavi, wife of hostage Omri Miran, her voice breaking as she pleaded for U.S. President Donald Trump to step in and help stop the fighting.
Opinion polls show that most Israelis want the war to end immediately, believing this is the surest way to secure the release of the remaining 50 hostages. Officials fear only about 20 may still be alive. Past releases were achieved through negotiations, but ceasefire talks collapsed in July, leaving families in agonizing uncertainty.
“They (the government) are fanatic. They are doing things against the interests of the country,” said 69-year-old retiree Rami Dar, who traveled from the suburbs to stand in solidarity with hostage families.
The war, which began after Hamas’ October 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people and took 251 into captivity, has since claimed the lives of more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Over 400 Israeli soldiers have also died.
At the protest, Israeli flags waved alongside signs demanding action — not more destruction. Some bore the faces of hostages, others showed images of Palestinian children killed in the conflict. Many feared that expanding the war would cost more lives, including those still held captive.
Tal, a 55-year-old teacher, summed up the mood: “We don’t have anything to do there. It’s not ours.”
The demonstrations show no sign of stopping. For the people filling Tel Aviv’s streets, the demand is simple yet urgent: end the war, save the hostages, and choose a path that preserves life, not erases it.
