A joint protest against the war in the Gaza Strip took place in Haifa, Israel, drawing around 300 participants. The event was reported by the Times of Israel as a notable gathering for the region.
The report notes that this marked the first large-scale demonstration of its kind in Israel’s Northern District since the Hamas assault on October 7, 2023. Organizers had initially faced a denial of permission but successfully appealed the decision through the country’s Supreme Court, allowing the rally to proceed.
The demonstration united members of the left opposition with representatives of Israeli Arab communities. Amjad Shbita, secretary general of the Hadash party, which advocates for Arab interests in Israel, addressed the crowd and read a list of protesters’ demands, including a Gaza ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, and protections for Arab rights within Israel.
In addition to the anti-war rally, supporters of Israel’s Gaza operation held their own demonstration nearby, accusing the anti-war participants of backing Hamas. The two groups remained peaceful, with no clashes reported.
Earlier, dozens of families held hostage by Hamas inside the Gaza Strip gathered outside the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to take decisive action to secure the release of their loved ones.
Musa Abu Marzouk, who previously served as deputy chairman of the Hamas Politburo, commented that the movement does not seek to identify prisoners of war as such and is pursuing a new framework for exchanging prisoners and detainees.