Protests Across Israel and Europe Demand Gaza Ceasefire

Thousands of people in Israel and Europe took to the streets over the weekend, pressing Israeli political leaders for a ceasefire and drawing international attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as fighting continues to rage in the Palestinian territory.

In Israel, tens of thousands joined rallies and street actions on Tuesday and Saturday, blocking highways, burning tires and staging sit-ins to demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree to a deal to free hostages held in Gaza and to halt plans for a major ground offensive in Gaza City. Relatives of hostages led large demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and protesters also briefly disrupted traffic at Ben Gurion airport and on the main highway to Haifa, organizers said. Some demonstrators set out to pressure the government after what they described as stalled negotiations and repeated delays in responding to a ceasefire proposal that mediators say has been accepted by Hamas.

The demonstrations reflected deep public anxiety about the fate of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023, when militants abducted 251 people and killed more than 1,200. Israel says about 50 hostages remain in Gaza and that roughly...