Suddenly! 700000 people march and protest in Israel

On the 1st, a large-scale demonstration broke out in Israel, with many people taking to the streets to call for a ceasefire agreement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and to push for the release of Israeli personnel detained in the Gaza Strip. In the vicinity of the Tel Aviv Ministry of Defense and the Jerusalem Parliament building, Xinhua News Agency reporters saw demonstrators shouting slogans demanding a ceasefire and holding up signs and photos of detained individuals. According to the website of Israel’s “News Agency” on the evening of the 1st, a total of 700000 people participated in the demonstration across the country, including 550000 in Tel Aviv.

Israeli media reported that on the evening of the 1st, thousands of protesters set fire to a main road in Tel Aviv, causing the road to be temporarily closed. The police issued a statement stating that they have dispersed some protesters, and at least 12 people have been arrested nationwide during the protests. The President of the Israel Confederation of Labor, Arnon Bar David, announced on the 1st that the union will launch a nationwide strike on the 2nd to voice the call for a ceasefire agreement that is “more important than anything else”. The strike will start at 6:00 am on the 2nd and is currently planned to last for one day. The municipal departments of cities such as Tel Aviv have announced their participation in this strike. On the morning of the 1st, the Israeli Defense Forces issued a statement saying that they had discovered the bodies of six Israeli detainees in an underground tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafa. It is estimated that they had died in the previous few days. This news has sparked strong dissatisfaction throughout Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu subsequently issued a statement stating that both the Israeli government and himself are committed to continuing to seek a ceasefire agreement in order to release all detainees and ensure the safety of Israelis. On October 7th last year, Hamas launched a surprise attack on military and civilian targets in Israel from the Gaza Strip, resulting in about 1200 deaths and about 250 people being taken back to the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other Palestinian armed personnel for detention. Israel subsequently launched a large-scale military operation against the Gaza Strip. According to data released by the Palestinian Gaza Strip Health Department, since the outbreak of the current Israeli Palestinian conflict, Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused over 40000 Palestinian deaths and more than 93000 injuries.