Jerusalem, 17 August, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli coalition lawmakers sharply criticized a nationwide strike and protests on Sunday, accusing organizers of aiding Hamas and undermining Israel’s military efforts.
The demonstrations, organized by families of hostages and supported by companies and universities, demand an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the return of all 50 hostages. The protests followed the security cabinet’s recent approval of a Gaza City offensive, a move some officials warn could endanger hostages and hinder any ceasefire negotiations.
“Those who are calling today for an end to the war without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas’s position and pushing back the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of October 7 will be repeated again and again, and that our sons and daughters will have to fight again and again in an endless war,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Sunday’s Cabinet meeting. “Therefore, both to advance the release of our hostages and to ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, we must complete the task and defeat Hamas. This is precisely the cabinet decision that was made last week. We are determined to implement it.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tweeted that the demonstrations were “a bad and damaging campaign that plays into Hamas’s hands, buries the hostages in the tunnels and tries to make Israel surrender to its enemies.”
Smotrich added, “The State of Israel is not standing still and not striking,” and said most Israelis understand a country “cannot surrender to its enemies and stop the war a moment before the destruction of Hamas.”
Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar called the strikes “a grave mistake and a reward for the enemy, who sees these images this morning and rejoices.”
Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu accused political opportunists of exploiting families’ suffering. “Every call to end the war is another dose of oxygen to Hamas in the tunnels,” he wrote, stressing that “the families of those being held hostage are worthy of our compassion. The cynics who are exploiting them deserve our contempt.”
The strike, coordinated by the October Council together with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, began at 6:29 a.m.—the exact time Hamas launched its assault on October 7, 2023. Demonstrations erupted at intersections across the country, with protesters distributing yellow ribbons, the symbol of the hostages. Organizers said they expected nearly one million people to pass through Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square during the day and tens of thousands more to rally at hundreds of other locations.
The strike, spanning hundreds of locations across the country, included blocked highways and demonstrations at major junctions. By midafternoon, the police reported at least 32 arrests for public disturbances. The majority of the arrests were in the Tel Aviv area.
“Setting fires, blocking major highways, infringing on the freedom of movement for many, and breaking through police security cordons are not legitimate acts; they are blatant violations of the law,” the police said.
president isaac Herzog visited Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to show solidarity. “We do not forget you for a moment. We are doing everything to bring you home safely. Israel and the world must pressure Hamas to release them immediately,” he said.
Opposition leaders embraced the protests.
Yair Lapid called for the strike in full support of the hostages’ families. “We are shutting down the country today. Our hostages are not pawns that the government is allowed to sacrifice for the sake of the war effort — they are citizens that the government must return to their families,” he said. Lapid also condemned coalition ministers’ accusations against protesters, writing on X,
“The only thing that will weaken Hamas is ousting this failed, malicious government. The only thing that is strengthening the country is the incredible spirit of the people who have left their homes today in Israeli solidarity,” Lapid added.
Blue and White-National Unity chairman Benny Gantz echoed support for the families, warning that government attacks “weaken and divide us.”
Yair Golan, chairman of the The Democrats party, posted photos of himself joining demonstrations, urging broader participation. “Tens of thousands took to junctions across the country, calling for the release of the hostages and an end to the war. There is no more time. We will do everything to bring them back now,” he wrote.
MK Gilad Kariv of The Democrats called the strike “more justified, more necessary than ever.”
Former hostages addressed the crowds in Tel Aviv. Arbel Yehoud, who survived captivity in Gaza, told protesters, “Military pressure doesn’t bring hostages home — it kills them. The only way is a single, comprehensive deal without games. We must stop routine life again and again until everyone is returned.”
Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead.
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