In the last 24 hours, Israel has witnessed the largest demonstrations since the horrific events of October 7. The leadership of the Workers' Union has announced a general strike for Monday.
The catalyst for these protests is the terrible news Israel received on Saturday night: Hamas executed six hostages on Friday: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Ori Danino, 25; Almog Sarusi, 27; Alex Lubnov, 33; and Carmel Gat, 40.
Now friends and observers from abroad are asking why Israelis would direct their anger toward their own government.
The answer is rooted in a consensus that has emerged within Israel's security apparatus – an alarming consensus that cuts across the defense minister, the chief of staff and the head of Mossad. They believe that the government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is jeopardizing a genuine opportunity to bring the hostages home. The demands the government is making, which appear to lack any substantial security value, seem to be driven more by political calculation than by a strategic imperative.
No one in Israel is under any illusions about Hamas. This is a group that has committed acts of mass murder, abduction, rape and looting. Israelis are fully aware that Hamas bears the ultimate responsibility for the nightmare the country is living through. But there is a fundamental expectation – especially from the families of the hostages and those who have already been returned, whether alive or dead – that the Israeli government will exhaust every possible avenue to secure their return. This expectation includes a willingness to engage in a deal, no matter how painful or politically risky.
Israel has already achieved significant milestones in the negotiations, including a tacit understanding from key moderating countries and even from Hamas itself that any deal to release hostages would not spell the end of the war. The Israel Defense Forces would continue its operations against Hamas after an interim deal that was supposed to see the release of between 18 and 30 hostages – some of whom were brutally executed by Hamas days ago.
The tragedy is that most Israelis no longer trust their government. Netanyahu’s administration has not won the confidence of the public in any reputable poll since March 2023 – long before the horror of October 7 – and certainly not since. Polls consistently show that Israelis believe the prime minister is more concerned with his political survival, particularly keeping the far-right elements in his coalition happy, than with the safe return of the hostages. The fear that a catastrophic electoral defeat could spell the end of his political career seems to loom larger than any other consideration.
This is the context in which dozens of thousands of Israelis, including many reservists, have taken to the streets in protest, even in the midst of war. Their demand is simple: that the government do everything in its power to bring the hostages back home. They protest with the full understanding that it’s not only up to the government, that the enemy is cruel and calculating, but that this is precisely why the government must rise to the occasion.
This demand is about far more than exerting political pressure on the government. It’s about the essence of what it means to be Israeli. At the heart of Israeli society is a profound commitment to solidarity, encapsulated in the Mishnah’s teaching that saving one soul is akin to saving the entire world. The belief that Israel will do everything – not just through military might, which is undisputed, but also through political moderation and compromise – to bring home those who were kidnapped from their beds by a merciless enemy is central to Israeli identity.
The actions of this government, however, have unmoored that identity. The government's failure isn't just in not bringing all the hostages home. There are two sides to this deal, and one of those sides is a group of mass murderers committed to annihilating Israel. The real failure of the government lies in its inability to convince the public and every expert involved in the negotiations that they are acting in good faith and are genuinely committed to upholding the values that define Israeli identity. This is why people are demonstrating.