As Gaza nears truce, Israel sees street protests for and against ceasefire deal with Hamas

Thousands of Israelis from across the spectrum have taken to the streets as a deal with Hamas appears to be around the corner.

The talks between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and release of hostages held by terrorists made a breakthrough over the weekend. The final drafts of the proposal have been exchanged and it has been reported that Hamas has accepted the deal in principle. The finalisation of the deal is expected soon .

While moderate Israelis and families of hostages have welcomed the developments and have taken to streets in support of the deal, the extremists on the far-right have taken to the streets in opposition of the deal. They oppose the end of the war and withdrawal of Israeli military from Gaza.

While officials have not publicly shared the specifics of the deal on the table, it is understood that is either same or nearly same as the one outlined by outgoing US President Joe Biden in May 2024 . While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had endorsed the deal at the time, he inserted new demands months later that essentially stalled talks for months.

The deal with the Hamas is seeing opposition within Netanyahu’s own government, with far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich threatening to leave the ruling coalition if the deal is pushed through. Despite their opposition, it is expected that the deal would be approved by the Israeli Cabinet.

Hostages families come together in Tel Aviv

Thousands of Israelis converged in Tel Aviv’s ‘Hostage Square’ in solidarity with hostages and their families and to reiterate the call of their return.

While they gather there regularly and hold ‘Singing for Their Return’ unity rally on Tuesdays, the Tuesday’s rally was much bigger than usual.

While the rally, which features activists and musicians, usually features a few dozen people, the rally on this Tuesday featured thousands of people, according to The Times of Israel.

The rally featured performances by well-known artists, hostage Moran Stella Yanai, and Yarden Bibas, the father of current hostage Yarden Bibas, among others, according to the newspaper.

Singer Evyatar Banai sang his 1997 song ‘I Have a Chance’ and stressed the line “I have a chance to be saved” that resonated with the mood.

The aunt of Omer Neutra, a hostage murdered by Hamas, called on the attendees to recite the Jewish prayer ‘Shema Yisrael’, according to the newspaper.

Left-leaning singer Aviv Geffen joined right-leaning singer and Omer Adam to perform at the rally.

“Omer and I are here tonight to say there are no differences between us, no religious and no secular Israelis, no Ashkenazi and Mizrahi, there is just the nation of Israel, the Jewish nation, praying that the hostages come home. That is our prayer,” the newspaper quoted the two as saying.

Moran Stella Yanai, a hostage who was released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023, addressed the rally and recalled her days in captivity. She said the night before her release was the longest of her life. She went on to describe what she dubbed her “light in the darkness”.

“On the 49th day, after weeks of darkness, they put me in a costume. There were two girls with me. They took us to the exchange point. Right there, a step away from freedom, they pulled me back. The two girls went on, and I was left behind… in hell. That night was the longest in my life. I imagined them touching the world outside — eating a luscious fruit, drinking clear water, doing what they want to do. That was my light in the darkness,” said Yanai, as per the newspaper.

As for those who continue to remain in captivity, Yanai said their return was not about strategy or ideology but humanity.

“But how much hope can a person have after 466 days? I saw the horror, the fear, and I understood something simple — nobody should be pulled into the darkness a moment before the light. None of them can remain there. It’s not an issue of strategy or ideology. It’s about humanity and that every single one must return, until the last hostage,” said Yanai.

Extremists stands against Israel-Hamas deal

While families of hostages continue to agitate for the return of hostages, far-right extremists in Netanyahu’s government and Israeli society continue to stand against the deal.

As negotiators work round the clock to secure a deal with Hamas, the far-right forces are converging and mounting a last-ditch effort to kill the deal once again. Hundreds of extremists converged in Jerusalem in a protest against the deal being negotiated.

One of the organisers said they were “calling on the prime minister not to give into this deal” that they dubbed as a “surrender to Hamas”, according to The Times of Israel.

Far-right allies of Netanyahu, National Security Minister Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Smotrich, have both slammed the deal and have threatened to walk out of the government if a deal is reached. They appear to have joined hands in the last-ditch efforts to tank the deal.

In a statement in Hebrew on X, Ben Gvir on Tuesday slammed the deal as “terrible” that “effectively erasing the war achievements that have been achieved with much blood by our fighters, so far, in the Gaza Strip”.

In an admission that sparked outrage in Israel, Ben Gvir said he and his allies have killed a deal with Hamas multiple times over the past year.

“Over the past year, through our political power, we have managed to prevent this deal from coming to fruition, time after time,” said Ben Gvir.

Admitting he does not have enough numbers to pressurise the government, Ben Gvir asked Smotrich to join efforts.

Ben Gvir said, “Therefore, I call on my friend, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to join me in full cooperation against the terrible deal being crafted, and to inform the Prime Minister clearly and firmly that if the deal goes through, we will resign from the government together.”

Ben Gvir further urged Netanyahu to “come to his senses” and continue the war against Hamas instead of seeking a ceasefire.