Israelis Hold Nationwide Protests and Strike to End the Gaza War

Protesters blocked big highways across the country on Sunday morning—the start of the working week in Israel—as part of demonstrations that will take place in more than 300 different locations and are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of Israelis, according to organizers. Major Israeli universities and some businesses and tech companies said they would strike for the day in support of the families.

The day of protests comes as Netanyahu announced earlier this month that Israel would take over Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are believed to be sheltering and where some Israeli hostages are thought to be held. That decision has drawn broad international condemnation as well as domestic opposition, with polls showing that close to 80% of Israelis, including right-wingers, support ending the war in exchange for the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

The pressure has so far failed to move Netanyahu. His critics say that he is prolonging the almost two-year-long war for his own political survival, an allegation he denies.