Protests have erupted across Israel in an attempt to force the government into a hostage agreement with Hamas.
People gathered in the streets blocked rush hour traffic at major intersections across the country and set tyres on fire on the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway before police cleared the road. Small groups with megaphones and banners also protested outside the homes of several coalition ministers and lawmakers. A small crowd outside the home of Minister Ron Dermer, a member of Netanyahu’s inner circle, chanted, “Total failure! Total failure!” Also, near the Gaza border, at Kibbutz Or Haner, protesters hung a black balloon in honour of every person killed in the attack and a yellow balloon in honour of every hostage in Gaza.
The unrest in the country comes as efforts to broker a hostage release agreement betwee Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip after nine months of war have intensified in recent days. Media reported yesterday Hamas had preemptively accepted a US offer to begin negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages, including soldiers and men.
Officials expressed optimism but said differences remain between the sides. Sources from both sides reported there is now a realistic chance of reaching an agreement. If successful, the mediators will guarantee a temporary ceasefire, aid delivery and Israeli withdrawal while indirect talks continue to implement the second phase of the agreement.
Israeli strike on Al-Nuseirat school
In the meantime, at least 16 people lost their lives on Saturday in the Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinian families in central Gaza. Israel said the attack targeted militants, but the health ministry said at least 50 injured in the attack on the school in Al-Nuseirat, Reuters informed. The death toll may increase as many of the wounded are in critical condition, according to a spokesman for the Gaza Emergency Services.
The Israeli military said it took precautions to minimise the risk to civilians before attacking militants who used the area as a hideout to plan and carry out attacks on soldiers, but Hamas denied its fighters were there.
Al-Nuseirat, one of eight historic refugee camps in Gaza, was the site of an intensified Israeli bombardment on Saturday. Earlier, an airstrike on a house in the camp killed at least 10 people and injured many, medics said. In a daily report on the death toll in the nearly nine-month war, Gaza’s health ministry said Israeli military strikes on the enclave have killed at least 29 Palestinians and injured 100 in the past 24 hours.
In addition, five local journalists were among those killed in separate airstrikes on Saturday, bringing the total number of journalists killed since 7 October to 158, according to the Gaza government press office.
