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Monday, August 18, 2025

In Largest Israeli Protest to Date, 1 Million Israelis Demand Gaza Ceasefire to Free Hostages

August 18, 2025
Massive protests have erupted in Israel, with about 500,000 people marching in Tel Aviv Sunday to demand an end to the war in Gaza. Organizers say 1 million took part in demonstrations across the entire country. Most of the Israelis who were out on the streets “blame Netanyahu” for prioritizing his political survival over an end to the war, says Oren Ziv, reporter and photographer for +972 Magazine. Ziv notes that most Israelis are “not speaking directly on the suffering in Gaza, on the killings, on the children, on the starvation,” but instead focus on the survival of the hostages held in Gaza.
In Israel, over 500,000 protested in Tel Aviv Sunday to demand an end to the war in Gaza and for the Israeli government to reach a deal to free the hostages in Gaza. Over a million people took part in protests across Israel as the families of Israeli hostages called for a “nationwide day of stoppage.” This is Lishay Miran-Lavi, the wife of Omri Miran, who is being held in Gaza.
Lishay Miran-Lavi: “Last week, we decided to call to everyone in Israel, to all the citizens, to stop, take a day and stop all the country, in one saying: Please release the hostages, bring them home, and stop the war. We are really caring about our dears that’s over there. My Omri is over there 681 days. I miss him. Our daughters, Roni and Alma, really miss him, and I’m really, really scared and afraid about his life. I want him here, and I want all the hostages here.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the protesters, saying, “Those who call to end the war delay the hostages’ release and guarantee that the horrors of October 7 will return.”
 
Amnesty International has accused Israel of carrying out a “deliberate campaign of starvation” that is “systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life.” At least 263 Palestinians have now starved to death amid the Israeli blockade.
Meanwhile, Israel is intensifying its attacks on Gaza City as it moves to forcibly evict the city’s entire population. On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike hit Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, killing at least seven people. Hamas has accused Israel of engaging in a “new wave of genocide and displacement” over its plans to relocate all residents of Gaza City.
This is a Palestinian medical student in Gaza City, who sent this voice memo to a colleague in the United States.
Palestinian medical student: “I just want to die right now. I think it’s the only way I will find relief. I don’t want to be displaced again. I’m so tired. I’m so tired. I wish I could see you soon, even just for a moment, and hug you, before I die.”
 
The U.S. State Department has halted all visitor visas from Gaza, including for children who need urgent medical care. The move was announced on Saturday, one day after far-right activist Laura Loomer posted a video complaining that injured Palestinian children are coming to the United States for care.
The U.S.-based Palestine Children’s Relief Fund decried what it called a “dangerous and inhumane decision.” The group said, “Medical evacuations are a lifeline for the children of Gaza who would otherwise face unimaginable suffering or death due to the collapse of medical infrastructure in Gaza.”
 
President Trump is meeting today at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several other European leaders. This comes three days after Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska failed to secure a peace agreement. Ahead of the Alaska talks, Trump had vowed Russia would face “very severe consequences” if Putin did not agree to stop the war, but Trump then dropped his call for a ceasefire. Democracy Now! speaks with Katrina vanden Heuvel, Russia expert and publisher of The Nation magazine, on what’s next as peace talks continue.
 
President Trump is meeting today at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Finland and Italy, as well as NATO chief Mark Rutte and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. This comes three days after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska but failed to secure a peace agreement. Ahead of the Alaska talks, Trump had vowed Russia would face “very severe consequences” if Putin did not agree to stop the war, but Trump then dropped his call for a ceasefire. Putin is insisting on Ukraine giving up the eastern Donbas region as a condition for ending the war. Putin spoke on Friday.
President Vladimir Putin: “But at the same time, we are convinced that for the Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, all the root causes of the crisis, which have been discussed repeatedly, must be eliminated. All of Russia’s legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and the world as a whole must be restored. I agree with President Trump — he spoke about this today — that, of course, Ukraine’s security must also be ensured.”
Putin and Trump did not take any questions after giving brief remarks. On Sunday night, Trump posted a message online saying, “Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.” Trump said Zelensky must give up on joining NATO or reclaiming Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Trump officials have floated the idea of the U.S. offering Ukraine some sort of security guarantee.
Meanwhile, Zelensky has accused Putin of trying to “humiliate diplomatic efforts” by launching attacks over the past day that killed at least 10 people, including three children, in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.

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