Thousands protest in Tel Aviv demanding the Netanyahu government end the war in Gaza and bring remaining Israeli hostages home

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Protesters fell silent as they marched on the Israel defense forces headquarters, as they passed a silent vigil for Palestinian children killed in the 21 month long conflict.

Transcript

00:00We're here in Central Tel Aviv where thousands of Israelis have turned out on a Saturday

00:06night at the end of the weekend to demand their government do more, to not only bring

00:11the remaining Israeli hostages back to Israel, 50 of whom are still inside Gaza, 20 believe

00:17to still be alive, but to end the war altogether.

00:21There is an overwhelming sense here that the government is not doing enough to bring this

00:26war to an end, that it is not listening to the population and the fact that this protest

00:31has ended up right here outside the IDF's headquarters in Central Tel Aviv is quite telling.

00:37They've marched through the streets, they are very loud as you can hear, other than a moment

00:42where they walk through a line of photos of dead Palestinian children, children who had

00:48been killed during this war.

00:50They have been very keen to make their voice heard and to tell the Netanyahu government

00:55said that they are not happy.

00:57There's a clear majority of people who want to stop the war, in Israel, who want to stop

01:02the war, who want to get the hostages home, who want to bring the soldiers home.

01:05Soldiers are dying, our son is a soldier, although he's training now.

01:09I don't want him to go into Gaza, I don't want him to get involved in it.

01:12Life continues on normally here, you see, it's very normal.

01:15People go to the beach, people go to the cafes, it's very normal.

01:19And an hour away, we are committing genocide.

01:22Do I think that the Prime Minister listens?

01:26He listens, but he doesn't hear.

01:29Well, it's clear that this group are trying to make their voice heard.

01:32There is little sense at this stage that the Netanyahu government is listening.

01:36The Israeli Prime Minister has just returned from a week-long trip to the United States.

01:41While he has been there, hostage negotiators, ceasefire negotiators have been in the Qatari capital,

01:47Doha, trying to come up with some sort of deal with Hamas.

01:52However, those talks are reportedly faltering.

01:56There have been reports that there are still key sticking points,

02:00namely things such as exactly how far the Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza

02:06if there is a ceasefire.

02:08There are also allegations being levelled by Palestinians at the Israeli government

02:13that the negotiators are pumping the brakes here,

02:16that they aren't going forward with these negotiations

02:19because the Prime Minister has been overseas.

02:22And that is why we are seeing these significant delays.

02:25Palestinian authorities say it is Israel to blame for those shootings,

02:29but the IDF says it has reviewed this incident

02:32and it cannot find any known injured people.

02:35That is despite those bodies piling up at morgues in Gaza,

02:40and the doctors there saying that there is clear responsibility

02:44laid at the feet of the IDF.

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