Thousands of residents of the war-torn country staged a protest against occupation plans

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to escalate the war in Gaza. A day earlier, the Israeli prime minister's office said the security cabinet had decided to seize Gaza City, expanding military operations in the devastated Palestinian territory, despite widespread public opposition and military warnings that the move could endanger hostages.

More than 100,000 protesters took part in Saturday's demonstration in Tel Aviv, according to organisers, calling for an immediate end to the military campaign and the release of hostages, Reuters reports.

“This is not just a military solution. This could be a death sentence for the people we love the most,” said Lishay Miran Lavi, the wife of hostage Omri Miran, at a rally, pleading with Donald Trump to intervene and end the war immediately.

Opinion polls show that a large majority of Israelis want an immediate end to the war to secure the release of the remaining 50 hostages held by militants in Gaza. Israeli officials believe that about 20 hostages are still alive.

The Israeli government has faced sharp criticism at home and abroad, including from some of its closest European allies, over the announcement of the escalation of military action, Reuters reports. The full cabinet is expected to give its approval as early as Sunday.

Most of the hostages were released through diplomatic negotiations. Ceasefire talks that could have led to the release of more hostages collapsed in July.

"They (the government) are fanatics. They do things that are against the interests of the country," said Rami Dar, a 69-year-old retiree from a nearby Tel Aviv suburb.

Tel Aviv has seen frequent rallies calling on the government to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, which sparked the war with its October 2023 attack.

“To be honest, I’m not an expert or anything, but I feel that after two years of fighting, there has been no progress,” said Yana, 45, who attended the rally with her husband and two children. “I wonder if additional lives will make any difference for either side, not just the Israelis but also the Gazans.”

Around 1,200 people, mostly Israelis, were killed and 251 were taken to Gaza during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. More than 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since then, Reuters reports.

Protesters waved Israeli flags and carried posters with images of the hostages. Others held signs expressing anger at the government or calling on Trump to take action to stop Netanyahu from carrying out his plans to escalate the war. A small number of protesters held up photographs of children killed by the military in Gaza.

The Israeli military has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians in the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which said Saturday that at least 39 people had been killed in the past day.

Some of the Israeli prime minister's allies in the far-right coalition are pushing for a full takeover of Gaza. The military has warned that doing so could endanger the lives of hostages in Gaza. Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, who advocates continuing the war, issued a statement on Saturday criticizing Netanyahu and calling for the annexation of large parts of the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu told Fox News in an interview aired Thursday that the military intends to take control of all of Gaza, but Israel does not want to hold on to the territory.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office released early on Friday said the military would capture Gaza City, but did not say directly whether Israeli forces would capture the entire territory.