NINE months after the devastating Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, Israelis yesterday mounted a nationwide day of anti-government protests. The demonstrations brought traffic to a standstill, as protesters called for new elections in Israel and for a cease-fire deal with Hamas that would return hostages from months of captivity.
Progress has been made for the resumption of talks, even as the fighting continues in Gaza, where an Israeli strike hit in the area of a U.N. school on Saturday. But many Israelis fear that a truce could be torpedoed not only by Hamas, but also by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, who, they say, might prioritize his political survival over a deal that could threaten it.
At the border: Israel’s northern border remained volatile, with the Lebanese Hezbollah organization firing salvos of rockets, drones and anti-tank missiles into Israeli territory.
In Rafah: The Israeli military invited journalists into the Gazan city on a supervised visit. Adam Goldman, a Times reporter, described devastation and “a maze of rubble.”
