HOSTAGE SQUARE (TEL AVIV): While PM Benjamin Netanyahu accused them of strengthening the hands of Hamas, Israelis converged here on the National Day of Action (17th August, 2025) demanding the end of Gaza war and return of 20 hostages held alongwith bodies of 30 who died while in captivity.
Anticipating a large crowd in the nationwide grassroots strike, the schools, businesses and public transport were kept closed in many cities. Traffic on the main artery linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem came to a standstill, when demonstrators set old tyres on fire: “We will shut down the country today with one clear call: Bring back the 50 hostages, end the war…If we don’t bring them back now – we will lose them forever!” It is pertinent to mention here that following discovery of the corpses of six captives, a year ago, more and more Israelis are taking to the roads supporting the hostages’ relatives.
On 4th of August, six hundred retired Israeli security officers have written to Trump on asking him to make israel end the Gaza War immediately. The officers, by means of the correspondence, has sated : “It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel. Your credibility with the vast majority of Israelis augments your ability to steer Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government in the right direction: End the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering.”
Newspakistan.tv
