Tel Aviv (Associated Press):
Marking nine months since the start of the war in Gaza, Israeli protesters blocked highways across the country on Sunday, calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign and demanding a ceasefire to free scores of hostages being held by Hamas.
The demonstrations came as a long-running effort to broker a ceasefire gained momentum after Hamas last week dropped a key demand: an Israeli promise to end the war. The militant group still wants a permanent ceasefire and Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed.
The war was sparked by a Hamas cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which left 1,200 people dead and 250 taken hostage. More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli retaliatory attacks, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
A day of confusion
Sunday’s “day of chaos” began at 6:29 a.m., the same time Hamas fighters fired the first rockets into Israel in their initial attack. Protesters blocked major roads and demonstrated outside the home of a government minister.
Near the border with Gaza, Israeli protesters released 1,500 black and yellow balloons to symbolize their murdered and abducted compatriots.
Hannah Golan said she came to protest against the “devastating abandonment of our community by the government.” She added: “It’s nine months today since that dark day and we still have no one in government to take responsibility.”
A ceasefire agreement in November freed more than 100 hostages, but about 120 remain being held. Israel has already concluded that more than 40 of the remaining hostages are dead, and there are fears the number could rise as the war drags on.
The United States is rallying the world around a phased ceasefire proposal in which Hamas would release the remaining prisoners in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. But Hamas wants assurances from mediators that the war will end, while Israel wants the freedom to resume fighting if talks to release the last hostages drag on.
Destroy Hamas
Netanyahu also said Israel remained committed to destroying Hamas’ military and governance, and would resume the war after a pause to allow the hostages to be released.
Israel continues to fight small groups of Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip after months of intense bombing and ground operations that have devastated the strip’s main city and forced most of its 2.3 million residents to repeatedly flee their homes.
Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis said the bodies of three Palestinians had been retrieved from the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel. The hospital said in a statement that the bodies were handcuffed, and that an Associated Press reporter saw the hands of one of the bodies bound.
Abdel Hadi Gabane, an uncle of one of the dead, said they had been working to secure the passage of humanitarian and commercial cargo through the checkpoint. He said he saw soldiers detain them on Saturday, adding that the bodies bore signs of beatings and one had a broken leg.
The Israeli army said it was investigating the reports.
Thousands of Palestinians have been detained since the war began, and many of those released, as well as some Israelis who have worked in the detention facilities, say they have been tortured and held in harsh conditions. Israeli authorities deny mistreating prisoners.
