Massive rallies across Israel cap day-long hostage protest strike; Impressed US officials reportedly send photos to Trump

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis gathered in central Tel Aviv on Sunday night to cap off a nationwide day of protests on behalf of the Israeli hostages and against the planned offensive against Hamas in Gaza, which aims to take over the entire enclave.

Estimates of the exact crowd size varied, as the Israel Police did not release an official number, however, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum claimed that approximately 400,000 participated.

The demonstration was one of the largest since the war began, but it did not approach the peak turnout of the 2023 judicial reform protests against the government before Oct. 7, despite calls to “shut down” the country in a general strike.

Protests temporarily blocked most major highways and junctions across Israel on Sunday, with demonstrations taking place in Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheva, and several smaller cities.

By the day's end, police said they had arrested at least 44 people for blocking roads and clashing with police officers trying to remove the blockades.

During the rally, a video was shown of several released hostages appealing directly to U.S. President Donald Trump, pleading with him to help end the war and secure the hostages’ return.

Viewing images of the demonstration, one White House official said “Wow,” according to Ynet News, which added that footage of the protests was sent to Trump.

The outlet claimed that other officials requested more footage to “clearly see the scale of Israeli mobilization” during the protests against the planned Gaza offensive.

However, an Israeli official was more skeptical regarding the impact of the demonstrations, echoing earlier comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said they were benefiting Hamas.

“Will demonstrations free the hostages? Sadly not. Let them demonstrate against Hamas. We already agreed to a deal, but Hamas dragged its feet after seeing how international campaigns worked in its favor. We will turn over every stone to bring the hostages home, and we are applying military pressure on Hamas,” the official told Ynet.

While the protest itself did not reflect Israel’s internal differences of opinion, they were starkly illustrated on Sunday by the fathers of two hostages – whose emaciated images recently shocked Israel and the world – standing on opposite sides.

The father of hostage Rom Braslavski addressed the Tel Aviv crowd, lamenting (that the cabinet was) watching his son waste away with nothing being done to help him.

“The entire country saw, all of the leaders saw, but the cabinet chose to expand the war and abandon them,” Ofir Braslavski said. “My Rom has no time, the hostages have no time.”

Avishai David, the father of hostage Evyatar David, opposed the nationwide protest day, arguing that its real aim was to topple the right-wing government, and he forbade demonstrators from using images of his emaciated son.

“Some of the families do not want this conduct. The hidden and declared goal is, first of all, to topple the government and its leader. There are amazing people in the forum who sacrifice a lot for the families, but what's behind it is sending the government home,” David said.

“We saw the picture on the flyers promoting the strike; the strike is so wrong, I don't know who it helps. It horrified us that they used a picture of my son, as he looked burned by fire, and exploited it for political propaganda. It's upsetting and weakening. It's difficult for me; the cynicism and hypocrisy are so intense.”

The family of hostage Omri Miran is divided over its approach to the protests.

Nadav Miran, Omri’s brother, said that he opposed Sunday’s strikes because they “strengthen Hamas.”

However, Omri’s wife, Lishay Miran Lavi, participated in an opening statement, saying, “We hope that the kidnapped, who have been languishing in the tunnels for 681 days and nights, will hear this morning that the people of Israel have not forgotten them for a moment. Hold on.”