Large crowds turned out across Israel last night to participate in protests against the government and to press for the return of hostages still being held in Gaza. Among the demonstrators were relatives of those abducted on October 7, who appealed emotionally to the government to finalize a deal that would bring the captives home as part of a ceasefire agreement.
The primary anti-government demonstration unfolded in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, where protestors gathered to denounce the ongoing conflict and call for immediate elections. They expressed frustration over the continued burden on reservists, while noting that yeshiva students from the chareidi community continue to be largely exempt from military service.
At the same time, a separate crowd filled Hostages Square near the Tel Aviv Museum to demand urgent action on a hostage release. With negotiations in Qatar appearing once again to hit an impasse, former hostage Naama Levy addressed the demonstrators and shared chilling recollections of her captivity, emphasizing that her deepest fear stemmed not from her captors, but from Israeli airstrikes.
Terrorist factions in Gaza are currently holding 58 people hostage, 57 of whom were abducted during the Hamas-led onslaught on October 7, 2023.
Levy, one of five female IDF surveillance soldiers freed during a ceasefire-hostage swap in January, told the assembled crowd of about 1,500, “They come by surprise.”
“First you hear a whistle, pray it doesn’t fall on you, and then — the booms, a noise loud enough to paralyze you. The earth shakes.”
“I was convinced every single time that I was finished, and it’s also what put me in the greatest danger: one of the bombardments collapsed part of the house I was in,” she said. “The wall I was leaning on didn’t collapse, and that’s what saved me.”
She continued, “That was my reality, and now it’s their reality. At this very moment, there are hostages who hear those same whistles and booms, shaking with fear. They have nowhere to run, they can only pray and cling to the wall while feeling a horrible powerlessness.”
Levy described being isolated during the early stages of her captivity, held without companionship or basic necessities. “Just me and my captors, constantly on the run,” she said.
“There were entire days without food and little water. One day, I had nothing left, not even water. Fortunately, it started raining. My captors put a pot outside the house where I was held, and the rain filled it,” she said. “I drank that rain water, which was enough for a pot of rice. That’s what kept me going.”
Reflecting on her ordeal, Levy admitted that she couldn’t understand how anyone in Israel could be aware of the hostages’ conditions and still justify prolonging their captivity. “But then the first hostages came back, and they said what was happening there,” she said. “They told the truth. That truth wasn’t enough.”
She said that the demonstrations being held for the hostages helped her hold on to hope while she was in captivity.
“During that terrible and unimaginable time, they told us that we had been forgotten — but I didn’t believe it. I knew people were fighting for me, because on Saturday nights, when I was allowed to watch television — I saw you, in this square. There, in captivity, I saw thousands standing here wrapped in flags, shouting, singing, holding pictures of the hostages, including mine. You made me feel that I was not forgotten.”
Ahead of the evening’s protests, a contingent of families with loved ones in captivity held their regular press briefing in Tel Aviv. The families, long outspoken critics of the government’s handling of the war, condemned Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu for continuing military operations instead of focusing on a deal to retrieve the hostages. They also raised alarm over reports that Netanyahu intends to appoint a new head of the Shin Bet who allegedly opposes a deal.
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan remains in captivity, accused the prime minister of putting politics above human life. “An eternal, politically-motivated war is preferable [to him] over the return of civilians kidnapped on his watch.”
“He prefers to flatten Gaza indefinitely, even at the price of 58 Ron Arads,” she said, referencing the Israeli pilot who vanished in Lebanon in 1986 and is presumed dead.
Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is also among the hostages, criticized Netanyahu for shirking responsibility. “How is it that after 600 days, he proposes a selective deal?” he asked, referencing a proposal that would secure the release of only some hostages. “This is a death sentence for whoever is left behind. I call upon President Trump — only you can stop this disaster and return everyone home.”
At another demonstration along Begin Road in Tel Aviv, protesters made their way past the IDF headquarters. They pounded drums, set off flares, and chanted, “Why are they still in Gaza?” as they marched through the night.
{Matzav.com}