Families of the hostages gathered Monday morning, April 7, in front of the Prime Minister’s official residence in Jerusalem to call for the release of their loved ones. Similar demonstrations were held also at the homes of several other cabinet ministers. The gathering took place ahead of Netanyahu’s trip to Washington, where the far-right Israeli PM is set to meet tonight with US President Donald Trump.

Monday also marked one and a half years since Hamas militants launched their 7 October assault on southern Israel, killing over 1,250 people and taking more than 250 hostages. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation forces’ war launched at the Gaza Strip, resulted in the killing of 50,752 civilians, the majority of whom were children and women. Meanwhile, around 115,475 were reported injured, with several victims still under the rubble or in the streets, facing difficulties in reaching them due to the ongoing attacks and shelling.

Last month, Israel broke the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, launching a surprise bombardment in the Gaza Strip after efforts to pressure the militants into accepting new ceasefire terms. Trump has backed Israel’s aggression.

“Stop your wars”, demonstrators protest for the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip and against the war, outside the headquarters of the Israeli army in Tel Aviv, Saturday evening, April 5, 2025 (Photo: Tomer Neuberg / Flash90)

Protests calling for the return of the hostages and against the war and the far-right government also took place across Israel on last Saturday night. A rally against the government led by a coalition of protest groups was held at 6:30 p.m. at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square. After the demonstration, protesters marched to Begin Road to join hostages’ families demonstrating there at 8 p.m. Separately, a rally at Hostages Square at 8 p.m. organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum 

At Begin Road, hundreds protested in with pics and names of Palestinian children who were killed by Israel in Gaza, among them MK Ofer Cassif and several Communist Party of Israel and Hadash activists. “Raise your voice! Stop the slaughter!” they cried.

Hundreds also take part in a demonstration in the city of Umm al-Fahm condemning the war in Gaza, the occupation of the Palestinian territories and calling for an immediate ceasefire. The police attempted to break up the solidarity protest with Gaza at the entrance to the city near route 65 and arrested the head of the local Popular Committee, Murid Fareed, a leading member of Hadash. Among the protesters, MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash). 

In addition, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Blair House in Washington as Netanyahu arrives for his surprise visit to the U.S. on Saturday evening. The trip, officially centering on talks over U.S. tariffs on Israeli goods follows Netanyahu’s state visit to Hungary. Ofir Gutelzon, co-founder of UnXeptable, a group that has led many of the anti-Netanyahu protests held by Israel expats across the United States, said to Haaretz, “Netanyahu is a danger to the hostages and a danger to the State of Israel.” “UnXeptable activists will wait for him wherever he goes to make sure that the voice of Israelis is heard. He cannot keep traveling the world and peddling lies without having to account for his betrayal,” he added.

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32572