Tens of thousands took to the streets in cities and junctions across Israel on Saturday night, July 26, to take part in the weekly protests against the far-right government and to call for the return of the hostages held in Gaza and for an end to the war in the Strip. At the main rallies at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and Begin Road, thousands gathered to call for the captives’ urgent release from Gaza. Some 500 people gathered for a weekly anti-government demonstration on Tel Aviv’s Habima Square.
Hadash MK Ayman Odeh speaks on Saturday night at a protest calling for an end to the war in Gaza, and the return of the hostages, in Rosh Pina, Northern Israel. July 26, 2025 (Photo: Ayal Margolin/Flash90)
After the rally, protesters joined attendees of other two rallies in a march toward the US Embassy at Hayarkon Street, where they aimed to pressure Washington to push Israel to end the war. Yael Adar, whose son Tamir was killed defending Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas assault, told the crowd that continued war in Gaza endangers the hostages and Israeli society at large, and assailed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comment on Friday that Israel and the US were “considering alternative options” to bring the captives home after the two countries recalled their negotiators. “The alternative of continuing the fighting is dangerous, creates a forever war, more civilian victims and bogs us down in the Gaza morass,” she said.
Earlier on Saturday, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan, sharply criticized Israel’s military and political strategies at a press conference outside of the Defense Ministry headquarters ahead of the weekly Saturday evening protests, arguing that pressure campaigns and humanitarian restrictions have failed to secure the hostages’ release. “For a year and ten months, they tried everything except one thing. The Israeli government has never laid out a comprehensive agreement to end the war and bring everyone back. All of Israel’s efforts have led to dead ends”, she said.
According to the leading activist, “We were told that military pressure would bring back hostages and force Hamas to an agreement – but that did not happen,” Zangauker added. “It only cost hostages their lives. We were told that if we recaptured areas, we had already cleared multiple times, the hostages would return – but they didn’t. We were told that cutting humanitarian aid would bring Hamas to its knees and make it surrender – but it didn’t. We were told that mobilizing the Gaza population would pressure Hamas to free the hostages – but that didn’t happen either. All the concepts imposed on us by Ben-Gvir and Smotrich failed.”
Attendance was sparser than usual this weekend as prominent anti-government activists went to protest in Ness Ziona after a fascist mob there assaulted Hadash lawmaker Ayman Odeh last week while chanting “death to Arabs.” Some 1,500 rallied in support of Odeh, the leader of Hadash-Ta’al, blocking a central intersection. During the meeting organizers accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (Likud) of failing to condemn Odeh’s attackers, who were praised by at least one coalition member, MK Tali Gottlieb (Likud). “Tonight, we’re all in Ness Ziona,” wrote the organizers. “We’ll put up a non-violent, determined and moral resistance to Ben Gvir’s rioters.” The protesters called for the government and police to hold Odeh’s attackers to account and called for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages. At the same hour, MK Odeh participated in the anti-war protest at Rosh Pina in the Upper Galilee near the Lebanese frontier,
In Haifa police officer barred a left-wing activist from holding a sign reading “Stop the Starvation.” The activist, Naomi Ben Malach, told Haaretz the officer even threatened to arrest her. “I was standing with the sign when a police officer came up to me,” she said. “He told me I wasn’t allowed to hold that sign and that if I kept holding it, he’d arrest me. I asked why, and he said it was because it’s incitement.”
On Thursday in Haifa, 26 Arabs and Jews were arrested at anti-war protest a few minutes after the demonstration began in the city’s German Colony. Officers brutally dispersed the demonstrators while tearing up signs. Adalah, the human rights group represented the detainees, said “The police claimed that the demonstration was illegal, but at the same time allowed a counter-demonstration by right-wing activists to take place at the site without any interference.” In addition, more than 10,000 Arabs and Jews gathering Friday against the war of extermination and starvation in Gaza at the city of Sakhnin in northern Israel sponsored by the Partnership for Peace coalition.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32873
