Two words stood out in conversation among Israelis who protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday night in support of a deal to release the hostages and end the war in Gaza: “hope” and “fear.”
Thousands took to the streets, with many saying there was a rare sense of optimism that a deal could now be reached, after Hamas said on Friday it was willing to release all the hostages and President Trump reacted favorably to the announcement. But demonstrators also worried it could be torpedoed by either Israel or Hamas.
“We are hopeful,” said Dalia Cosnir-Horn, whose brother-in-law Eitan Horn has been held in Gaza for two years, “but also dead scared that the deal will collapse.” Last February, Iair Horn, another brother-in-law who had also been held hostage, was released in a cease-fire deal — while his brother remained behind.
“There’s a feeling Trump wants a deal,” Ms. Cosnir-Horn said, but added she feared Hamas or the Israeli government would hamper the negotiations and “we’ll be left alone.”
A day after Hamas made its announcement, responding to a cease-fire proposal that Mr. Trump had put forward earlier this week, Tel Aviv saw one of its largest protests in months. Thousands of demonstrators filled a plaza that has in the past two years acquired the nickname “Hostages Square,” and spilled out into the surrounding streets. Some carried Israeli and yellow flags in solidarity with the hostages; others wore T-shirts printed with the faces of Israeli captives.
Earlier on Saturday, Israel said it was preparing to take the first steps of Mr. Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. Saturday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis in a brief address that he hoped to finalize an agreement to exchange hostages for prisoners “in the coming days.”
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The post At a Protest for a Deal, Israelis Wrestle With a Mix of Emotions appeared first on New York Times.
