Jerusalem: Massive protests swept Israel on Sunday following the death of six hostages in Gaza as frustration mounted over the failure of the country’s leadership to secure a ceasefire deal that would free Israeli captives. Crowds estimated by Israeli media to number up to 500,000 strong demonstrated in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do more to bring home the remaining 101 hostages, about a third of whom Israeli officials estimate have died. In Jerusalem, protesters blocked streets and demonstrated outside the prime minister’s residence. Aerial footage showed Tel Aviv’s main highway filled with protesters holding flags with pictures of the slain hostages.

Israeli television footage showed police directing water canons at demonstrators who had blocked roads. Local media reported 29 arrests. Labour leaders called a one-day general strike on Monday. The Israeli military announced the recovery of the bodies from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah as a polio vaccination campaign began in the war-shattered Palestinian territory and violence flared in the occupied West Bank. The bodies of hostages Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino were returned to Israel, military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters.

A forensic examination determined they were “murdered by Hamas terrorists in a number of shots at close range” 48-72 hours previously, an Israeli health ministry spokesperson said. Netanyahu, who faces growing calls to end nearly 11 months of war with a deal for a ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages, said Israel would not rest until it caught those responsible. “Whoever murders hostages – does not want a deal,” he said.

Senior representatives of Hamas claimed that the deaths were caused by Israel’s failure to sign a ceasefire accord. According to senior Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, “Netanyahu is responsible for the killing of Israeli prisoners,” as reported by Reuters. “The Israelis should choose between Netanyahu and the deal.” Following attacks on Israel on October 7, in which Hamas and other militants killed over 1,200 people and kidnapped approximately 250 more, Israel launched its invasion on Gaza. Since then, the 2.3 million-person enclave has been mostly destroyed by Israel’s invasion, and according to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 40,738 Palestinians have died. People who have been displaced are suffering from a lack of food and substandard housing.

Yoav Gallant, the defense minister and a frequent opponent of Netanyahu, also demanded an accord, and Yair Lapid, the head of the opposition and a former prime minister, encouraged people to participate in the protest in Tel Aviv. Hardline member of Israel’s security cabinet and minister of finance, Bezalel Smotrich, requested that the attorney general forbid the strike in a desperate attempt to put an end to the protests. Netanyahu was urged by the Hostage Families Forum to accept accountability and provide an explanation for the impasse over an accord. “They were all killed in the last few days, after surviving almost 11 months of abuse, torture, and starvation in Hamas captivity,” according to the six captives who were freed on Sunday. Their killings and the deaths of numerous more hostages have resulted from the delay in signing the agreement,” it stated.

According to Netanyahu’s office, he apologized and expressed “deep sorrow” to the family of Lobanov, whose body was found among the rescued bodies. However, Gat’s family stated they urged Israelis to participate in protests and declined to speak with the prime minister. “Go to the streets and stop all government activity until everyone comes back.” On X, Gil Dickmann, Gat’s cousin, wrote, “They can still be saved.” The killing of Israeli American Goldberg-Polin, 23, and the other hostages left US President Joe Biden “devastated and outraged.” “These atrocities will be paid for by Hamas leaders. And we’ll never stop searching for a solution to guarantee the release of the remaining hostages,” he declared in a statement. Speaking with Rehoboth Beach reporters,

Chief Hamas negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, who is based in Qatar, reiterated in an interview with Al-Jazeera television on Sunday that the group would not sign an agreement until Israel completely withdrew from the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors, which have been points of contention in the negotiations. vaccines against polio To start immunizing 640,000 children against polio, Israel and Hamas decided to stop hostilities in some areas of Gaza for at least eight hours every day from Sunday to Tuesday. Palestinian officials reported that children swarmed a UN clinic in the central Gaza city of Deir Al-Balah, escorted by family members. According to the health ministry of the region, on the first day, at least 72,611 youngsters received vaccinations.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera television on Sunday, chief Hamas negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, who is based in Qatar, reaffirmed that the group would not sign an agreement until Israel fully withdrew from the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors, which have been points of contention in the negotiations. vaccinations to prevent polio Israel and Hamas agreed to halt fighting in some parts of Gaza for at least eight hours every day from Sunday to Tuesday in order to begin immunizing 640,000 youngsters against polio. Under the supervision of family members, youngsters flocked to a UN clinic in the central Gaza city of Deir Al-Balah, according to Palestinian officials. At least 72,611 children in the region received immunizations on the first day, according to the health ministry.