'Trump's legacy crumbles'
7/9/2025 5:53
Thousands of Israelis
rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, issuing direct appeals to
U.S. President Donald Trump to force an end to the Gaza war and
secure the release of the hostages.
Protesters packed a public square outside the military
headquarters, waving Israeli flags and holding placards with
images of the hostages. Some carried signs, including one that
read: 'Trump’s legacy crumbles as the Gaza war persists'.
Another said: "PRESIDENT TRUMP, SAVE THE HOSTAGES NOW!"
"We think that Trump is the only man in the world who has
authority over Bibi, that can force Bibi to do this," said Tel
Aviv resident Boaz, 40, referring to the Israeli prime minister.
There is growing despair among many Israelis at Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has ordered the military to
capture a major urban centre where hostages may be held.
Families of the hostages and their supporters fear the
assault on Gaza City could endanger their loved ones, a concern
the military leadership shares, according to Israeli officials.
Orna Neutra, the mother of an Israeli soldier who was killed
on October 7, 2023 and whose body is being held in Gaza by
militants, accused the government of abandoning its citizens.
"We truly hope that the United States will push both sides
to finally reach a comprehensive deal that will bring them
home," she told the rally. Her son, Omer, is also American.
Tel Aviv has witnessed weekly demonstrations that have grown
in size, with protesters demanding that the government secure a
ceasefire with Hamas to obtain the release of hostages.
Organisers said Saturday night's rally was attended by tens of
thousands. A large demonstration was also held in Jerusalem.
NO PURPOSE
Trump had pledged a swift end to the war in Gaza during his
presidential campaign, but nearly eight months into his second
term, a resolution has remained elusive. On Friday, he said that
Washington was engaged in "very deep" negotiations with Hamas.
Israeli forces have carried out heavy strikes on the suburbs
of Gaza City, where, according to a global hunger monitor,
hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are facing famine. Israeli
officials acknowledge that hunger exists in Gaza but deny that
the territory is facing famine. On Saturday, the military warned
civilians in Gaza City to leave and move to southern Gaza.
There are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering
in the city that was home to around a million before the war.
A video released by Hamas on Friday featured Israeli hostage
Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, saying that he was being held in Gaza City
and feared being killed by the military's assault on the city.
Rights groups have condemned such videos of hostages as
inhumane. Israel says that it is psychological warfare.
The war has become unpopular among some segments of Israeli
society, and opinion polls show that most Israelis want
Netanyahu's right-wing government to negotiate a permanent
ceasefire with Hamas that secures the release of the hostages.
"The war has no purpose at all, except for violence and
death," said Boaz from Tel Aviv. Adam, 48, said it had become
obvious that soldiers were being sent to war for "nothing".
Hamas has offered to release some hostages for a temporary
ceasefire, similar to terms that were discussed in July before
negotiations mediated by the U.S. and Arab states collapsed.
The militant group, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two
decades but today controls only parts of the enclave, on
Saturday once again said that it would release all hostages if
Israel agreed to end the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza.
Netanyahu is pushing for an all-or-nothing deal that would
see all of the hostages released at once and Hamas surrendering.
The prime minister has said Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold
and capturing it is necessary to defeat the Palestinian militant
group, whose October 2023 attack on Israel led to the war.
Hamas has acknowledged it would no longer govern Gaza once
the war ends but has refused to discuss laying down its weapons.
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