Protests Erupt in Israel Amid Deadly Gaza Airstrikes/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Protesters across Israel demanded a ceasefire to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza, blocking roads and burning tires. Their calls came as Israeli strikes killed 16 Palestinians a day after a deadly hospital bombing that claimed 20 lives, including journalists and medics. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the offensive, despite mounting domestic and international pressure.
Israel-Gaza Crisis Quick Looks
- Protesters in Israel block roads demanding hostage deal
- Families accuse Netanyahu of sacrificing civilians for political survival
- Gaza hospitals report 16 new deaths from Israeli airstrikes Tuesday
- Monday strike on Gaza’s main hospital killed 20, including AP journalist Mariam Dagga
- Netanyahu calls hospital strike a “tragic mishap” and orders probe
- Gaza’s Health Ministry: 62,819 killed since start of war, half women and children
- Malnutrition deaths rising; 186 adults and children reported since late June
- Israel plans expanded offensive in northern Gaza, urges evacuations
- Israeli forces stage rare daytime raid in downtown Ramallah
- UN says settler violence in West Bank surged past 1,000 attacks in 2025
Deep Look: Israelis Protest for Hostage Deal as Gaza Death Toll Mounts
LOD, Israel — August 26, 2025 – Thousands of Israelis took to the streets Tuesday, torching tires and blocking highways in a dramatic call for a ceasefire agreement that would bring home the hostages still held in Gaza. The demonstrations reflect growing public anger with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war strategy, even as his government prepares a new military offensive.
The protests coincided with more Palestinian deaths in Gaza, where hospitals reported 16 killed Tuesday following airstrikes, just a day after a deadly double strike on Gaza’s largest hospital that killed 20 people, including medics and journalists. Among the dead was Mariam Dagga, a reporter for the Associated Press who had recently documented starving children inside the hospital.
Protesters Push Netanyahu for Negotiations
Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum declared a “National Day of Struggle,” urging pressure on Netanyahu to return to negotiations. Demonstrators carried signs reading “Hostage Deal Now” and demanded the government accept a ceasefire framework backed by Egyptian mediators.
Ruby Chen, whose 21-year-old son Itay — an Israeli-American soldier — was killed and whose body remains in Gaza, said a deal is possible.
“Go back to the negotiation table. There’s a good deal on the table. We could get all the hostages back,” Chen said.
Hamas abducted 251 people during the October 7, 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 in Israel. While most hostages have been released through previous deals, 50 remain in Gaza. Israel believes about 20 are still alive. Israel has rescued just eight alive since the war began.
“We could have ended this a year ago,” said Einav Zangauker, whose son remains captive. “The prime minister sacrificed civilians for the sake of his rule.”
Fallout From Hospital Strike
Monday’s airstrikes on southern Gaza’s main hospital sparked international outrage. Most victims died in a second strike after rushing to help those injured by the first blast. Television networks broadcast the attack live, shocking global audiences.
Netanyahu described the bombing as a “tragic mishap” and said the military would investigate. But journalists’ groups and aid agencies called it one of the most devastating attacks on hospitals and press workers in the conflict.
Tuesday’s follow-up strikes added 16 more deaths, including women and children, according to Nasser Hospital, Shifa Hospital, and Sheikh Radwan Clinic. Gaza’s Health Ministry said three more adults died from malnutrition, raising the toll of starvation-related deaths to 186 since late June, including 117 children.
Gaza’s Humanitarian Toll
Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates 62,819 people killed since the war began, about half of them women and children. The ministry, though run by Hamas, is considered the most reliable casualty source by the United Nations and humanitarian groups. Israel disputes the figures but has not published its own.
Israel’s military says its offensive is aimed at dismantling Hamas, but critics warn it is inflicting indiscriminate destruction while worsening famine and displacing civilians.
West Bank Raid Escalates Tensions
In a separate development, Israeli forces carried out a rare daytime raid in downtown Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority’s administrative center. Military vehicles blocked roads as clashes erupted, with dozens injured from live fire, rubber bullets, and tear gas.
The raid underscored how the war in Gaza has spilled into the West Bank, where Israeli forces have launched large-scale operations. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says there have been more than 1,000 settler attacks in 2025, leaving 11 Palestinians dead and about 700 injured.
A War Without End?
Netanyahu insists only expanded offensives in northern Gaza can weaken Hamas enough to secure hostages and prevent future attacks. But hostage families, protest movements, and foreign governments argue that military escalation undermines chances for a ceasefire deal.
With Egypt mediating and U.S. officials urging restraint, Israel faces mounting pressure to balance military goals with humanitarian realities and domestic demands for the safe return of hostages.
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