Thousands of protesters have led Israel’s streets to oppose the government’s plans to expand its military operations in Gaza.
On Friday, Israel’s security cabinet approved five principles to end the war, including “security control” in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli military said it would “prepare to control” the city of Gaza.
Protesters, including members of the family of 50 hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are still considered alive, fear that the plan would put the lives of the hostages at risk and urged the government to ensure they were released.
Israeli leaders rejected criticism of the plan, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “this will help free our hostages”.
A group of people representing the hostage family said on X: “Expanded battle endangers hostages and soldiers – the Israeli people are unwilling to take risks!”
A protester Shakha, who was rallying in Jerusalem on Saturday, told the BBC: “We want the war to end because our hostages died there and we all need them home now.”
“Whatever we need to do, we need to do. If we need to stop the war, we will stop the war.”
Among the protesters in Jerusalem, a former soldier told the BBC that he is now refusing to serve. Max Kresch said he was a combat soldier at the beginning of the war and “rejected thereafter.”
“We served over 350 soldiers during the war, and we refused to continue serving in the political war in Netanyahu, endangering hostages (and) starving innocent Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.
Israel Times reported that during protests in Tel Aviv near the headquarters of the IDF, members of the hostages and soldiers’ family members called on other soldiers to refuse to serve in expanded military operations to protect the hostages.
The Times of Israel said the mother of one of the hostages called for a general strike in Israel, although the country’s major unions would not support it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also faces strong opposition from Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant Al Zamir, who, according to Israeli media reports, warned the Prime Minister that the Prime Minister’s full occupation of Gaza is “promoting Gaza’s rule to fall into a trap” and will endanger the living hostages.
Polls show that most of Israel’s public favors a deal with Hamas to free hostages and end the war.
Netanyahu told Fox News earlier this week that Israel plans to occupy the entire Gaza Strip and eventually “deal with it to Arab forces.”
“We will not take Gaza – we will release Gaza from Hamas,” Netanyahu said on X on Friday. “This will help release our hostages and ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future.”
The Israeli Security Cabinet plan outlines five “principles to end the war”: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, making the Gaza Strip non-military, exerting security control over the territory, and establishing “a alternative civil affairs that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian authorities.”
The United Nations warns that a complete military takeover of Gaza City will risk “disastrous consequences” of Palestinian civilians and hostages.
As many as one million Palestinians live in Gaza City in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, the city with the largest number before the enclave.
Britain, France, Canada and several other countries have condemned Israel’s decision, and Germany announced it would stop military exports to Israel.
The UN Security Council will meet on Sunday to discuss Israel’s plans.
On October 7, 2023, after Israeli Hamas-led Israeli attacks on Israel, Israel began a military offensive in Gaza, with about 1,200 people killed and another 251 people taken hostage.
Hamas-run health ministry said that since then, more than 61,300 people have been killed in Gaza due to Israeli military operations.
