On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Israel experienced a broad surge of protests as individuals—spearheaded by hostage families and activists—proclaimed a “National Day of Struggle.” The demonstration sought to urge the government to achieve a solid agreement with Hamas for the liberation of hostages remaining in Gaza, in light of increasing casualties and humanitarian suffering.
- Hundreds of protesters—among them family members of prisoners—shut down roads and set tires ablaze in major cities to urge immediate action.The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which coordinated the day of action, guided protest locations near important government and military zones, including rallies outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.
- Their unified message: “Bring them back, end the conflict.”
- Mass protests erupted following intensified Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, including the fatal assault on Nasser Hospital that resulted in at least 20 deaths, including journalists and medical personnel—escalating anger and frustration among the populace.
- Hospitals report that further strikes resulted in the deaths of 16 more Palestinians, comprising women and children, worsening the escalating humanitarian crisis.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asserting that a comprehensive assault is essential to eliminate Hamas and ensure the safety of the remaining hostages, emphasized that talks lacking military leverage are ineffective. Up to now, merely eight hostages have been saved alive, whereas detractors contend that ongoing airstrikes endanger lives instead of preserving them.
- Within Gaza, the number of fatalities has exceeded 62,800, with health officials reporting widespread deaths due to malnutrition, particularly affecting children. The impact on civilians has heightened demands for a ceasefire and revived discussions from both Israel and around the world.
Context and Importance
- The demonstrations indicate an increasing internal division as the conflict extends into its 22nd month.Families of the hostages—both those missing and those grieving—have become more vocal, staging blockades near essential infrastructure and calling on the government to focus on diplomacy instead of prolonged military operations
- Their message: military action lacking a hostage agreement is empty and risky.
- Globally, severe backlash has accompanied the hospital strikes. The UN, along with others, has urged Israel to carry out investigations that ensure accountability—not superficial ones—cautioning that assaults on medical personnel and journalists could amount to war crimes.
What occurs afterward?
With protests on the rise, the government faces increasing pressure to change its approach. The way ahead is still perilous:
- Negotiations: Diplomatic mediation alongside internal advocacy might advocate for an agreement that links a ceasefire with hostages’ release.
- Military Escalation: Netanyahu’s government maintains a focus on an aggressive approach, hoping that sustained pressure will weaken Hamas’s resolve.
- Domestic Consequences: Ongoing turmoil and public dissent could jeopardize the government’s unity domestically and diminish its international reputation.
Conclusion
Israel’s “Day of Struggle” underscores the growing national discontent with a conflict marked by escalating casualties and stalled negotiations.
With families of the hostages and worried citizens continuing their protests, the significant question remains: will Israel shift towards a humanitarian solution or reinforce its military stance?The upcoming days may impact the fate of the two surviving hostages and the potential for future peace.
Protests halt Tel Aviv traffic amid nationwide day of action
From xenixnews staff
Here’s some footage from Tel Aviv showing some of the scenes from this morning’s protests.
- Demonstrators brought traffic to a halt in what’s been described as a “day of struggle,” calling for the release of hostages in Gaza and a negotiated end to the war.
- Later today, Israel’s security cabinet is set to discuss plans for a major assault on Gaza City, a source familiar with the talks said.
Hit the play button below to watch the video:
Protests halt Tel Aviv traffic amid nationwide day of action
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How many hostages taken by Hamas are still in Gaza?
From xenixnews staff
- Nearly two years on from the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, just 20 of the 251 hostages taken into Gaza are thought to be alive.
- Hamas has accepted the latest ceasefire proposal, which would see half of the hostages still in Gaza released in exchange for a pause in fighting, but Israel is yet to respond.
The current status of hostages abducted by Hamas and its allies on October 7
- In total, 251 people in Israel were taken on October 7, 2023. The Israeli government says 49 are still in Gaza as of June 22, 2025.
Israelis are taking part in a nationwide “day of struggle.” Here’s what to know
From xenixnews staff
Israelis are today staging a nationwide day of protest, burning tires and blocking highways as they call for a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would return the hostages.
The so-called “day of struggle” comes as the Israeli government prepares to take over Gaza City, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prevaricates over the latest ceasefire proposal, which Hamas has accepted.If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know.
• “Day of struggle:” Protesters in Israel are blocking the main highway in Tel Aviv, calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and a negotiated end to the war. Large protests like these typically happen on a weekend; that the mass demonstration is being held midweek is a measure of the growing anger within Israel.
• Security cabinet meeting: While civilians call for an end to the war, Israel’s security cabinet is scheduled to meet this afternoon to discuss Israel’s imminent assault on Gaza City, according to a source familiar with the plans.
• Ceasefire proposal: Nearly a week after Hamas accepted the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal, Israel has yet to respond – despite Netanyahu’s claims that he is “immediately” starting negotiations to release all the hostages and end the war.
• Trump eyes deal: Donald Trump claimed over the weekend that the war in Gaza will end within the next “two to three weeks,” without providing details. The US president said he “deals with” Netanyahu “quite a bit,” and said he told him the war needs to end soon.
• “Double-tap” strike: Meanwhile, Israel is facing international condemnation after its deadly “double-tap” strike on the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza killed at least 20, including five journalists, some of whom had rushed to the site to cover the initial strike.
• Journalists under attack: Monday’s strike on the Nasser Hospital came two weeks after Israel killed several Al Jazeera journalists in a strike on Gaza City. Israel’s killing of journalists means the number of reporters in Gaza is dwindling, since Israel does not allow international journalists to enter the enclave to report independently.
Israeli protesters demand release of hostages, end to the war in “day of struggle”
From xenixnews Eugenia Yosef and Nadeen Ebrahim
(From L) Hagit and Ruby Chen, parents of hostage Itay Chen, Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, and Itzik Horn, father of hostage Eitan Horn and former hostage Iair Horn, speak during a demonstration in Israel. Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
- As we’ve been reporting, Israelis started a nationwide day of protest today, blocking highways and burning tires as they called for a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would secure the release of hostages held there.
Hostage families and other supporters joined the protest, calling it the “day of struggle.”
- The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the protest opened with the displaying of giant Israeli flags outside the US Embassy branch in Tel Aviv.
- “The message was clear: 6:29 AM on October 7th – the time our lives changed, this is the time we open the national day of struggle,” the forum said.
- Hagit Chen, mother of Itay Chen who was killed on October 7, 2023 during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, said: “There is an offer on the table. We demand that our leaders sit at the negotiation table and not get up until there is an agreement that guarantees when the last hostage will return.”
- Yehuda Cohen, the father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, said: “More than 80 percent want an end to the war and a hostage deal. All of Israel wants an end to this nightmare.”
- Nearly a week after Hamas accepted the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators, Israel has yet to respond, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims he is “immediately” starting negotiations to release all the hostages and end the war.
- After 18 months of agreeing only to partial, phased ceasefire deals, Netanyahu is now demanding a comprehensive agreement that would secure the release of all hostages and end the war entirely – on Israel’s terms.
Israeli security cabinet to meet this afternoon
From xenixnews Eugenia Yosef and Oren Liebermann
- Israel’s security cabinet is scheduled to meet this afternoon, according to a source familiar with the plans.
- The security cabinet will discuss Israel’s imminent assault on Gaza City, the source said, but it’s unclear if the latest ceasefire proposal — accepted by Hamas more than one week ago — will come up for discussion as well.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not given any indication that he intends to engage on the 60-day ceasefire proposal that’s on the table from mediators.
- Since the US and Israel withdrew from ceasefire talks last month, Netanyahu has said he would only consider a comprehensive deal to end the war and return all the hostages under Israel’s terms.
There are 50 hostages still in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
- On Monday, Netanyahu told US Senator Jodi Ernst that Israel “will act with determination and strength in order to return all the hostages and defeat Hamas,” according to a readout of the meeting.
Pictures show standstill traffic in Tel Aviv as protesters demand ceasefire and hostage deal
From xenixnews staff
- We can now bring you some images from in and around Tel Aviv as protesters block main roads as part of a nationwide day of action across Israel.
- The demonstrators are calling for the release of the hostages held in Gaza and a negotiated end to the war.
Israeli protesters block the main highway in Tel Aviv as they demand the immediate release of the hostages and an end to the war Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance/Getty Images
An Israeli police officer in Tel Aviv tries to move protesters from the middle of the road during a demonstration organised by the families of the Israeli hostages taken captive in the Gaza Strip since the October 2023 attack. Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
A drone view of protesters blocking a main road in Yakum, near Tel Aviv during a demonstration on Tuesday demanding the immediate end of the war and the release of all hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023, attack. Yair Palti/Reuters
Israeli protesters block the main highway in Tel Aviv on Tuesday as they demand the immediate release of the hostages and an end to the war. Ilia Yefimovich/Picture Alliance/Getty Images
Protesters stand on a bridge as they block a main road in Yakum near Tel Aviv during a demonstration on Tuesday. Nir Elias/Reuters
Hostage Nimrod Cohen’s family shares video of his abduction and slam Netanyahu for no deal
From xenixnews Dana Karni and Hira Humayun
- Viki and Yehuda, the parents of hostage Nimrod Cohen, hold a sign with images of their son during protest presentation in Tel Aviv, Israel on August 9, 2025. Amir Cohen/Reuters
- The family of Nimrod Cohen, a hostage, shared a video yesterday of his October 7 kidnapping and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not signing a deal to bring hostages back.
“We decided to show the world this video today – to show the cruelty and aggression with which Hamas kidnapped my son almost two years ago,” his mother Viki Cohen said, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
- The footage, which the forum said was recently seized by the Israeli military and given to the family, shows Nimrod, who is still believed to be alive, being led away by armed men. In the edited video, the militants’ faces are blurred, and someone can be heard saying in English, “Don’t worry, you will go back to Israel.”
- Nimrod’s brother, Yotam Cohen, said a partial deal that would release 10 living hostages and 18 deceased “could have been signed a week ago and could be finalized right now.”
“Yet in the midst of these negotiations for a partial deal, and amid ongoing discussions about ending the war, Netanyahu’s government refuses to sign,” Yotam said.
- Nimrod’s family has been outspoken about their opposition to Israeli plans of expanding the war in Gaza, a decision that has sparked massive protests across the country over the last two weeks.
Trump claims war in Gaza could end in next “two to three weeks”
From xenixnews Elise Hammond
- President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the Oval Office of the White House, DC on Monday. Alex Brandon/AP
- President Donald Trump claimed yesterday the war in Gaza will end in the next few weeks, without providing specifics.
The US president said he “deals with” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “quite a bit” and said he has told him the war needs to end soon.
- “I think within the next two to three weeks, you’re going to have pretty good, conclusive — a conclusive ending,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
- “Is a hard thing to say, because they’ve been fighting for thousands of years,” he added. “I think we’re doing a very good job, but it does have to — it does have to end, but people can’t forget October 7th either.”
Trump pointed to US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff’s efforts to secure the release of hostages still being held in Gaza and provide food aid as the humanitarian and hunger crisis in the enclave worsens.
- Expanded military operation on the ground: The American president’s claims that the war will end soon comes as Israel has expanded its military operation in Gaza City, which Netanyahu said was one of the last Hamas strongholds.
xenixnews Tal Shalev, Tamar Michaelis and Oren Liebermann contributed reporting to this post.
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