Israeli police arrest dozens, use water cannons at hostage deal protest

JERUSALEM, Aug 17: Israeli police have clashed with crowds and made arrests in response to protesters demanding a hostage deal, which has escalated their campaign with a one-day nationwide strike that blocked roads and closed businesses.
The “day of stoppage” was organized by two groups representing some of the families of hostages and bereaved families, weeks after militant groups released videos of emaciated hostages and Israel announced plans for a new offensive.
Protesters fear further fighting could endanger the hostages who were seized by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the attack that triggered the war and are believed to still be alive in captivity. Israel believes that some 20 are still alive, with Hamas holding the remains of about 30 others.
The protesters gathered at dozens of points throughout Israel, including outside politicians’ homes, military headquarters, and on major highways, where they were sprayed with water cannons as they blocked lanes and lit bonfires. Some restaurants and theaters closed in solidarity.
In Tel Aviv, among the protesters was a woman carrying a photo of an emaciated child from Gaza. Police said they had arrested 38 people as part of the nationwide demonstration, one of the fiercest since the uproar over six hostages found dead in Gaza last September.
Former hostage Arbel Yehoud said that military pressure doesn’t bring hostages back – it only kills them. Netanyahu and allies oppose any deal that leaves Hamas in power. Anat Angrest, mother of hostage Matan Angrest, said, “Today, we stop everything to save and bring back the hostages and soldiers. Today, we stop everything to remember the supreme value of the sanctity of life.”
An end to the conflict does not appear near. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded the immediate release of the hostages but is balancing competing pressures, haunted by the potential for mutiny within his coalition.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the stoppage “a bad and harmful campaign that plays into Hamas’ hands, buries the hostages in the tunnels and attempts to get Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardise its security and future.”
Hospitals and eyewitnesses in Gaza reported at least 17 aid-seekers had been killed by Israeli forces on Sunday, including nine awaiting aid trucks close to the Morag corridor.
The United Nations is warning that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began.
Israel’s military body that coordinates its humanitarian aid to Gaza said Sunday that the supply of tents to the territory would resume. COGAT said it would allow the United Nations to resume importing tents and shelter equipment into Gaza ahead of plans to forcibly evacuate people from combat zones “for their protection.”
Deliveries have since partially resumed, though aid organizations say the flow is far below what is needed. Some have accused Israel of “weaponising aid” through blockades and rules they say turn humanitarian assistance into a tool of its political and military goals. (AP)