Israeli citizens demonstrated in several locations to demand that their government sign the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
A group of about 1,500 people gathered in Habima Square in central Tel Aviv at the call of the We Stand Together NGO, which brings together Israelis and Palestinians. The demonstrators carried banners, posters and placards with messages such as “Children in Rafah and children in Israel”, “Enough with the death of children”, “Deal now”, “Bring the prisoners home”, “Right now”, “Only peace will bring security”, “End half a year of hell”.
In his speech, Palestinian-born Israeli MP Ahmad Tibi accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of not supporting a ceasefire for fear of losing his seat.
Prisoners’ relatives block the road
Relatives of Israeli prisoners in Gaza and their supporters gathered in the evening on Menachem Begin Street in front of the Ministry of Defence building in Tel Aviv.
The group of hundreds of Israelis carried banners and placards reading “Murderers”, “No price is too high for prisoners”, “Enough is enough”, “Attack on Rafah = killing prisoners” and pictures of Israeli prisoners in Gaza.
Israelis chanted “Bring them all”, “Deal now”, “Deal on the table, sign it”.
Israeli police closed Menachem Begin Street to traffic. Relatives of Israeli prisoners faced police obstructions as they marched from Begin Street to Kaplan Street. Scuffles broke out between the Israeli police and the demonstrators. The demonstrators closed Kaplan Street to one-way traffic for a while and long queues of vehicles formed.
Israelis marched around the Ministry of Defence building.
On the other hand, relatives of Israeli prisoners marched from the Israeli Supreme Court in West Jerusalem to the parliament building.
The demonstrators carried an empty coffin representing their relatives who died in the ongoing clashes in Gaza and have not yet been buried.
Carrying banners calling for the release of Israeli prisoners, the demonstrators chanted “We will not rest until they are all brought back to life, healed or buried in Israeli graves”.
At times, Israeli police intervened with the demonstrators and scuffles broke out.The police arrested two people.
Hamas approves ceasefire proposal
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement, has informed Qatar and Egypt that he has accepted their proposals for a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. After Hamas announced its acceptance of the “ceasefire proposals” put forward by Qatar and Egypt, the Israeli war cabinet decided to continue the attacks in Rafah. On 7 May, the Israeli army launched a ground assault east of Rafah and took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
