Demonstrators assaulted during rally near Begin Gate as anger mounts over Netanyahu's handling of Gaza hostage crisis
Israeli protesters demanding the return of hostages held in Gaza were met with violence during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Monday, according to Israeli Army Radio.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the Begin Gate area when they were assaulted by passersby, including motorists and motorcycle riders. One man, aged 74, was hospitalized at Ichilov Medical Center after being struck by a motorcyclist who drove into the crowd, the radio reported.
Israel's Haaretz daily said several protesters were punched in the face and attacked by a car driver.
According to Israeli estimates, around 50 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,800 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, where rights groups have reported torture, food deprivation and medical neglect -- conditions that have led to multiple deaths.
Families of the Israeli hostages have been holding protests for months, urging the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal with the Palestinian group Hamas to secure their release.
Since the start of the war, Israel and Hamas have engaged in several rounds of indirect negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire and prisoner exchange. Two partial agreements were reached -- one in November 2023 and another in January 2025.
However, Netanyahu backed away from the most recent deal and resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18.
Israel has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system and led to severe food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
