Domestic pressure is mounting to end the deadly war between Israel and Palestine, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he plans to expand it.

The protesting crowd blocked major highways across the country on Sunday morning, as part of demonstrations that will take place in more than 300 locations and are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of Israelis, according to the organisers of the nationwide protest. Major Israeli universities, businesses, and tech companies are also expected to join the strike for the day in support of the families of those held hostage.

Prime Minister Netanyahu announced earlier this month that Israel would take over Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are believed to be sheltering and suffering from hunger. Gaza also currently has some Israeli hostages. This decision by the Prime Minister has drawn both international and domestic opposition, with national polls showing that close to 80% of Israelis, including right-wingers, support ending the war in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

“The Prime Minister can bring one deal to return all the hostages and end the war, and he also has the backing of the people for that… But he chose to expand it in a decision that is a death sentence for the hostages who are dying in the tunnels,” said Noam Peri, daughter of deceased hostage Chaim Peri. She was addressing a general press conference on Sunday morning.

Netanyahu’s government is dependent on far-right lawmakers, who oppose ending the war and call for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the city. These lawmakers have also strongly criticised Sunday’s demonstrations by Israeli citizens.

“The riots in support of Hamas have begun,” stated a post by Likud Party lawmaker Hanoch Milwidsky on social media platform X.

War So Far

So far, the war in Gaza has killed more than 61,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and there is no reliable data on the number of people missing and still unaccounted for. The Gaza enclave also faces a dire humanitarian crisis, including widespread hunger.

Very recently, Israel’s military unit charged with humanitarian coordination, called COGAT, was seen preparing for an invasion of Gaza City. On Saturday, they said that the unit will begin to transfer tents and shelter equipment into Gaza to evacuate the population — a step the Israeli government said it will take before the military operation begins.