Lishay Miran-Lavi has been waiting for her husband to come home for almost two years.
Omri Miran was taken from his home in kibbutz Nahal Oz in front of his wife and their two young daughters during the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants on Israel.
On Saturday night, Miran-Lavi joined tens of thousands of protesters on the streets of Tel Aviv to oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to escalate the nearly two-year Gaza war, demanding an immediate end to the campaign and for the release of the hostages.
A day earlier, Netanyahu's office said the security cabinet — a small group of senior ministers — had decided to seize Gaza City, expanding military operations in the devastated Palestinian territory despite widespread public opposition and warnings from the military the move could endanger the hostages.
"This isn't just a military decision. It could be a death sentence for the people we love most," Miran-Lavi told the rally, pleading to US President Donald Trump to intervene to immediately end the war.
Demonstrators waved signs and held up pictures of hostages still being held in Gaza as they called on the government to secure their release. Source: EPA / Abir Sultan
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is also held by Hamas in Gaza, said Netanyahu's cabinet had "sealed the fate of the hostages".
"The living will be murdered, and the fallen will disappear forever. The quotes from that meeting prove: this is not a political-security cabinet, this is a death cabinet."
"Prime Minister, your hands will be stained with the blood of the hostages and our soldiers," Zangauker told a news conference in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
Einav Zangauker's son, Matan, was abducted by Hamas militants during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Source: EPA / Abir Sultan
Majority of Israelis want war to end
Public opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Israelis favour an immediate end to the war to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by militants in Gaza.
The Israeli government has faced sharp criticism at home and abroad, including from some of its closest European allies, over the announcement that the military would expand the war. The full cabinet is expected to give its approval as soon as Sunday.
Australia is among countries urging Israel to rethink the decision, and on Sunday — along with New Zealand — said it could risk violating international law.
Rami Dar, 69-year-old Israeli retiree, who travelled from a nearby suburb outside of Tel Aviv, echoed calls for Trump to force a deal for the hostages.
"They (the government) are fanatic. They are doing things against the interests of the country," Dar said.
Saturday's demonstration attracted over 100,000 protesters, according to organisers.
Tel Aviv has seen frequent rallies urging the government to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, who ignited the war with their October 2023 attack. Source: EPA / Abir Sultan
The October 7 attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Some of the prime minister's far-right coalition allies have been pushing for a total takeover of Gaza. The military has warned this could endanger the lives of the hostages in Gaza.
Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, a proponent of continuing the war, issued a statement on Saturday criticising Netanyahu and called for the annexation of large parts of Gaza.
Netanyahu told Fox News in an interview that aired on Friday that the military intended to take control of all of Gaza but that Israel did not want to keep the territory.
The announcement from the prime minister's office early on Friday said the military would take Gaza City, but did not explicitly say if Israeli forces would take all of the enclave.
