Demonstrators lashed out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of torpedoing efforts to secure a cease-fire in exchange for the hostages’ release. The country’s largest labor union said it would go on strike on Monday.On Sunday night, a massive crowd of thousands of people marched in front of the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv. The protesters were demanding that the government immediately accept a deal for the release of hostages held in Gaza. This demonstration, one of the largest in months, came after the Israeli military announced that they had recovered the bodies of six hostages who had been recently killed in Gaza.

In Tel Aviv, the families of the hostages and their supporters carried six prop coffins in a march through the city, blocking the main highway and gathering in front of the Israeli military headquarters. In Jerusalem, the Israeli police used water cannons and forcefully removed protesters who had gathered at the city’s main entrance.

Smaller cities also saw protests, including Haifa and Beer Sheva, according to Israeli media outlets. In Rehovot, people blocked traffic and chanted, “We want them back living, not in coffins!”

The families of the hostages have long accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging efforts for a deal for his own political gain. They have taken increasingly aggressive actions, such as protesting in front of his Jerusalem home and storming a Parliament meeting, to pressure him into taking action.

The families’ frustration reached a boiling point on Sunday after the Israeli military announced that the bodies of six hostages had been recovered. The Israeli health ministry reported that they had been shot at close range between Thursday and Friday morning.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing some of the relatives, declared that the Israeli government had blood on their hands and called on the public to “bring the nation to a halt.” This sentiment was echoed by Israel’s largest labor union, which declared a strike starting on Monday morning, and by opposition leader Yair Lapid.

The Families Forum reported that hundreds of thousands of people were protesting across the country on Sunday evening, but the exact number could not be verified. The Israeli police, who arrested five people during the protests in Jerusalem, did not provide any estimates of crowd sizes.

At a candlelight vigil in Jerusalem, prayers were said for Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the Israeli hostages who was killed. Several family members of the hostages directed their anger towards Prime Minister Netanyahu, urging the public to take action.

“Whoever accepts the murder of civilians for the Prime Minister should stay home,” said Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat was one of the hostages found dead over the weekend, on the social media platform X. “Those who don’t: in memory of Carmel, take to the streets – stop the abandonment.” 

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