August 26, 2025 – Hostage families protest in Israel as global outrage deepens over Gaza hospital attack

Protesters demonstrate in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

Police in Israel said the bulk of the protests across the country have proceeded without “unusual incidents,” as thousands of citizens have called for a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would secure the release of the hostages held there.

Protesters throughout Tuesday, blocked several interchanges by burning tires on the main highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israeli police said that any roads that were temporarily closed have been “reopened quickly,” with officers deployed across all major routes.

Police said they thwarted several attempts to block roads by locating more stockpiles of tires that protesters were planning to burn.

Protesters fill a street in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening.

“Lighting fires in public areas or on roads is not a form of protest, but a dangerous and criminal act that could endanger human life,” police said.

Although Israeli police said any disruptions have been intermittent, the widespread nature of the protests have caused traffic to build up across the country, in what protesters have called the “day of struggle.”

Ami Dror speaks to CNN on Tuesday, August 26.

A leader of the nationwide “day of struggle” protests, and former bodyguard to Israel’s prime minister, says Benjamin Netanyahu is waging a “political war,” and demanded an immediate end of hostilities and the release of all the hostages.

“The main goal of this war is to keep Netanyahu in his office,” Ami Dror said in an interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson. “He needs to care about the country Israel more than he cares about himself.”

Dror described widespread support for the protests across the Israeli public.

Calling out the mounting starvation in Gaza affecting Palestinian civilians as well as hostages, he added: “It’s a Jewish value to make sure that children in Gaza have food to eat. Enough of this war. No more war. We want to live in a decent place. Hamas are monsters, and we have all the ways in the world to fight the terrorists like we do with many other cases, but the highest priority is our starving, dying hostages … Enough is enough.”

Black smoke rises from burning tires on Highway 2 in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

Demonstrations have taken place across Israel, coming one day after a deadly Israeli double strike on a hospital in southern Gaza, which has prompted global condemnation.

If you’re just joining our coverage today, here’s a round up of some of the main developments.

National “day of struggle”: Protesters blocked key routes, including the main highway in Tel Aviv, calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and a negotiated end to the war.

Hospital strike condemned: The UN human rights office called for “justice and accountability” after an Israeli “double-tap” attack on Nasser Hospital killed at least 20 people, including five journalists.

Security cabinet meeting: Israel’s security cabinet was meeting today to discuss an imminent assault on Gaza City, according to a source familiar with the plans.

Ceasefire proposal: Israel has yet to provide a response to a ceasefire proposal currently on offer, according to Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson.

Palestinian statehood recognition: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said his country would not join Western nations in recognizing Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly next month. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has warned that Western recognition of Palestinian statehood would be an “act of suicide” for Israel.

On Monday morning, Hussam Al-Masri, a cameraman who worked for Reuters, was positioned on an external stairwell of the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, providing a live feed showing fighting in the distance elsewhere in the enclave.

Al-Masri was killed in an Israeli strike on the hospital.

Some minutes later, after people had rushed to treat those wounded in the strike – and other journalists arrived to cover the attack – a second Israeli strike hit the hospital.

At least 20 people were killed in the “double tap” strike, including five journalists. Israel called the attack a “tragic mishap” and said it is launching an investigation.

The pictures below show the aftermath of the attack.

People gather outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Monday following Israeli strikes.

People recover the body of journalist Hussam al-Masri, who was a contractor for Reuters, on Monday.

People inspect the damage at Nasser Hospital.

Hussam al-Masri's equipment lies at the site where he was killed at Nasser Hospital.

Dust fills the air as people inspect the damage following airstrike.

An injured man is taken inside Nasser Hospital after the strikes.

People mourn over the bodies of journalist Moaz Abu Taha, left, and photojournalist Hussam al-Masri, right, ahead of their funeral on Monday.

A camera with blood on it is shown after the strikes.

In this photo provided by a family member, Riyad Dagga, surrounded by relatives and friends, prays over the body of his daughter and freelance journalist Mariam Dagga during her funeral on Monday. Dagga was killed in the Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital.

In this photo provided by a family member, relatives and friends caress the face of Mariam Dagga during her funeral on Monday.

Medics assist an injured man at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, after Israeli strikes on Monday.

Israel is facing a global outcry after it launched a deadly strike on a hospital in southern Gaza.

Yesterday’s attack was a “double-tap” strike. After the initial blast at the Nasser Hospital, people gathered around the site to tend to the casualties, while journalists arrived to report. Then, Israel fired again.

At least 20 people were killed in the attacks, including five journalists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the incident was a “tragic mishap.”

Here’s how the world has reacted:

• United Nations: The UN human rights office called for “justice and accountability” after the strike. At least 247 Palestinian journalists have been killed since October 7, 2023, spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said Tuesday at a press briefing, a figure he said should “shock the world.”

• European Union: An EU spokesperson said Israel’s strike was “completely unacceptable.” It urged Israel to “ensure that these attacks are investigated,” since “there have been too many fatalities in this conflict.”

• United Kingdom: Downing Street on Tuesday condemned Israel’s “indefensible strike.” On Monday, Foreign Minister David Lammy said he was “horrified” by the Israeli attack and called for an immediate ceasefire.

• United States: When asked for his reaction, President Donald Trump yesterday said he had not heard about the strike, but that he was “not happy about it.” “We have to end that whole nightmare,” he said.

• Germany: Chancellor Friedrich Merz, however, said he did not believe that Israel’s attack targeted journalists, Reuters reported today. Merz said he would like to wait for the results of Israel’s investigation “before making a final judgment.”

• Spain: The foreign ministry said Israel’s strike was a “flagrant and unacceptable violation of international humanitarian law, which must be investigated.” It said journalists must be given “special protection” and not be targeted.

• France: President Emmanuel Macron said Israel’s strike on the hospital was “intolerable” and stressed that “civilians and journalists must be protected in all circumstances.”

• Canada: The foreign ministry condemned “all violence directed against journalists and media workers” and called once again for “an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”

Demonstrators on the streets of Israel today are demanding a negotiated end to the war in Gaza and the release of all hostages.

Israel itself has yet to provide a response to the ceasefire proposal currently on offer, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said earlier.

He added that the deal on the table is in line with what Israel previously demanded.

“There is an offer on the table, there is agreement from Hamas about the phrasing,” he said, adding that the current framework “is very compatible with the previous Israeli demand.”

“The ball is now in Israel’s court,” al-Ansari told reporters, adding that Israel should clearly explain its reservations about the deal.

Al-Ansari said that Qatar does not see “any positive trajectory coming out of this escalation on the ground,” referring to Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City.

“Instead of getting an answer to the proposal on the table, the only thing we have seen is threatening to occupy the city of Gaza, attacking civilians as they wait for aid, and the purposeful targeting of your colleagues and my colleagues, journalists in Gaza,” he said.

For context: Along with Egypt and the United States, Qatar has been a mediator between Hamas and Israel throughout the war.

But nearly a week after Hamas accepted the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators, Israel has yet to respond – even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims he is “immediately” starting negotiations to release all the hostages and end the war.

After 18 months of agreeing only to partial, phased ceasefire deals, Netanyahu is now demanding a comprehensive agreement that would secure the release of all hostages and end the war entirely – on Israel’s terms.

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Condemnation for Israel's plan for new settlements in the West Bank

4:18 • Source: CNN

Condemnation for Israel's plan for new settlements in the West Bank

4:18

Atop a Palestinian village overlooking Jerusalem, Atallah Mazara’a ruminates about his long-held dream. His Bedouin village of Jabal al-Baba sits near the geographical center of the occupied West Bank, balanced between the north and south of what a future Palestinian state would be made up of.

But with each passing day, that dream seems to fade into the horizon, farther than ever before.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich last week announced the final approval of thousands of new housing units to expand Israel’s Ma’ale Adumim settlement, that would effectively cut the West Bank in two – a plan known as E1.

Smotrich made it clear that his goal was to kill prospects of a Palestinian state, saying, “The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans, but with actions.”

Read the full story here.

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Demonstrators set tires alight in Israel in protests calling for hostage release

0:05 • Source: CNN

Demonstrators set tires alight in Israel in protests calling for hostage release

0:05

As we’ve been reporting today, protesters have been setting tires alight and blocking highways across Israel as part of a nationwide ‘Day of Struggle,’ calling for a ceasefire deal securing the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

The video above, obtained by CNN and filmed in Kfar Hayarok, central Israel, shows several flaming tires piled up on a roadway.

More than 140 nations have joined the call for international recognition of a Palestinian state. That’s about three quarters of all United Nations members – and growing.

The majority of those countries recognized Palestinian statehood in the 1980s, following the Palestine National Council’s (PNC) declaration of the state. But the issue has risen in prominence since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023.

Today, most of the Arab world recognizes a Palestinian state. But some of Israel’s closest Western allies are soon set to join them.

Spurred by global alarm at the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state next month.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at UN headquarters in New York City on August 5.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has warned that Western recognition of Palestinian statehood would be an “act of suicide” for Israel.

We’ve reported today on comments from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He says his country will not be joining other Western nations in recognizing Palestinian statehood when they gather at the UN General Assembly next month.

In recent weeks, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September, a growing consensus among Western governments to promote a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sa’ar, who belongs to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, said Israel was in a “better strategic position than we were two years ago,” referring to Israel’s assaults against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran.

“This so-called ‘solution’ is suicidal from Israel’s perspective. Israel cannot agree to it,” he added.