Thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square on Thursday for a protest demanding an end to the Gaza war and return of the hostages after Israel announced it had recalled its negotiators from Qatar, where they had been holding indirect talks with Hamas.

The rally, which began with a moment of silence for fallen soldiers, a prayer for the safety of the troops, and the release of the hostages, featured parents of hostages, parents of soldiers, and reservists demanding that the war — on its 657th day — finally come to a close.

“In the beginning, this was a just war. But after 22 months, this war no longer has a security purpose,” declared Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Noam Tibon.

“The war has turned into a political war, and while the best of us are falling in Gaza, the October 7 government — the government of failure and neglect, is passing a disgraceful draft-evasion bill, weakening the IDF and playing politics on the backs of our fighters,” he said, referring to efforts by the government to keep the coalition together by exempting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from mandatory military service.

“Today, as the hostage negotiating team is again being recalled, we all already know and understand that the only way to bring all the hostages home is to make a deal to end the war,” Tibon said, adding: “Everyone knows that it’s entirely possible and must happen in one go, without ‘selections,'” — a reference to the partial deal being advanced by the government, which only envisions the initial release of roughly half of the remaining hostages.

While Hamas has offered to release all 50 remaining hostages in one batch in exchange for an end to the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the trade,........

© The Times of Israel