Israel sees nationwide protests demanding release of captives and end to Gaza war

Protests are being held across Israel, with organised demonstrations scheduled in Tel Aviv throughout the day.

Organisers, many of them relatives of captives currently or previously held in Gaza, say they are calling for a deal to secure their release and end the fighting.

According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a large rally is expected at Tel Aviv’s Savidor Central Station before a march to the so-called Hostages Square, where the day will culminate in a mass protest led by families of captives.

Already this morning, demonstrators have blocked Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway as part of what organisers describe as a day of intensive action, The Times of Israel reports. Protesters have also unfurled Israeli flags outside the US embassy in Tel Aviv.

Haaretz reported that demonstrators are rallying outside the homes of senior ministers, including Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and Innovation Minister Gila Gamliel.

_{Israelis demonstrate to support Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and against the Israeli government, in front of the Sourasky Medical Centre – Ichilov, in Tel Aviv, on August 25}

Families accuse Netanyahu government of ‘abandoning’ Israeli captives

At a news conference in Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square this morning, families of captives held in Gaza accused the Israeli government of failing them and demanded an immediate deal for their release.

“Advancing the plan to conquer Gaza while there is an agreement lying on the table for the prime minister’s signature is a stab in the heart of the families and the entire nation,” said Itzik Horn, father of Yair Horn, who was released from captivity, and Eitan Horn, who is still being held in Gaza.

“Join us today in our collective struggle because only the people will bring them home,” he said.

“We have a wonderful people but no government … The government has abandoned, but the people will bring them back!” said Einav Zangauker, mother of Matan Zangauker, who remains in Gaza.

Yehuda Cohen, father of captive Nimrod Cohen, added: “More than 80 percent want an end to the war and a hostage deal. All of Israel wants an end to this nightmare … Today, on day 690, we demand that the Israeli government go to a deal and release all the hostages; you owe them this.”

_{The protest comes as part of a nationwide “Day of Disruption” to demand the return of captives from Gaza and an end to the war.}


Jerusalem’s Christian leaders call for end to Israel’s ‘spiral of violence’

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a joint statement that “it is time to end this spiral of violence, to put an end to war and to prioritise the common good of the people.

“There has been enough devastation, in the territories and in people’s lives … It is now time for the healing of the long-suffering families on all sides,” they added.

The church leaders warned that Israel’s announcement that “the gates of hell will open” is “already in the process of being implemented”, pointing to the devastation in Gaza and the effect on civilians.

They said the Saint Porphyrius and Holy Family church compounds in Gaza City have become a refuge for hundreds of civilians, including children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Many inside are weakened and malnourished, they added, and “leaving Gaza City and trying to flee to the south would be nothing less than a death sentence.”

The clergy added that nuns have decided to remain in Gaza to continue caring for those sheltering there.

Video evidence shows Israel’s Nasser Hospital attack was targeted, not accident: Rights group

Israeli military officials, cited in local media, claimed tank fire was responsible for the back-to-back attack on Nasser Hospital yesterday that killed at least 21 people, including five journalists.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu described the attack as a “tragic mishap”.

But the Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation, a human rights and legal advocacy group, disputes that account. It said its analysis of attack footage indicates the weapon used was a “guided missile”.

The foundation said such a missile would be consistent with precision-guided systems used by Israel, meaning the operator would have seen or designated “the target before impact”.

The Israeli military, it claims, “therefore knew they were striking medics, civil defence crews, and journalists. This was a deliberate double-tap war crime, not an accident.

“Researchers at the #HindRajabFoundation are finalising a detailed technical report on this attack, which will be included in a forthcoming legal filing against those responsible,” says the organisation.

The IDF claims the Nasser Hospital massacre was caused by a “Tank shell.” This is false. Our researchers have analysed the footage and confirmed it shows a guided missile fired on a direct trajectory from the northwest — consistent with precision systems such as Spike NLOS .… pic.twitter.com/B3yYWtiKU2

— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) August 25, 2025

The IDF said it was a deliberate attack on a Hamas control center (Nassar hospital) on Israeli TV. They only call it a mistake for international media. 

Palestinian journalists furious at international media’s coverage of killed contributors

This is a very, very angry morning. Palestinian journalists do not know how to mourn their five colleagues [killed in Nasser Hospital yesterday] and there’s a wave of anger at the international news agencies.

Many news outlets [that the killed journalists worked for] did not even mention their contributors. The Reuters news agency did not mention in their headline their cameraman who had been working for them for months. In their article, they simply described him as a Reuters “contractor”.

As for Moaz Abu Taha [another journalist killed in the Nasser Hospital attack], not a single news organisation that he was working for said he was working for them.

Palestinian journalists have been risking their lives for 23 months now, and after they are killed, they are not even mentioned in headlines. In the end, they are mentioned as “contractors”, as “freelancers” – while, when they were alive, they were working 24/7 to produce, fix and document for these news outlets.

You see how Palestinian journalists are treated. There’s no protection when they are alive. And after they are killed, no one even mentions them.

This is how most Palestinian journalists feel – that we’re just being used as robots to report on what’s going on because there are no foreign journalists; we get killed and then everyone forgets about us.

Israeli ex-Defense Minister Lieberman defiant over Nasser Hospital attacks

Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said Israel has no need to apologise for the Nasser Hospital attacks yesterday that killed 21 people, including journalists, medics and rescue workers.

“We do not need to apologise, but to call out the world’s hypocrisy,” he said, suggesting the attack could have been justified because journalists and medical staff have been used as “human shields”.

The hospital attack, which even PM Netanyahu expressed regret for, has been roundly condemned by rights groups and numerous foreign governments.

Human shield for what? They haven't even named a target and there is still zero evidence of Hamas using human shields. All the counter attacks guerilla fighters are carrying out are ambushes against tanks mostly. 
The only proven use of human shields is by the IDF, "mosquito protocol".

Reuters contributor accuses agency of ‘abandoning’ Palestinian journalists

Canadian photojournalist Valerie Zink has announced she is severing ties with the Reuters news agency after eight years as a stringer, saying she can no longer continue in her role given the agency’s “role in justifying and enabling the systematic assassination of 245 journalists in Gaza”.

In a post on X, Zink criticised Reuters’ coverage of the killing of Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif, a member of a Pulitzer Prize–winning Reuters team in 2024. She said the outlet repeated “baseless” Israeli claims about him, putting his life and those of other journalists at risk.

“Reuters’ willingness to perpetuate Israel’s propaganda has not spared their own reporters from Israel’s genocide,” she added, noting that a Reuters cameraman was among five journalists killed in the Nasser Hospital attack yesterday.

“I have valued the work that I brought to Reuters over the past eight years, but at this point I can’t conceive of wearing this press pass with anything but deep shame and grief,” she said.

“I don’t know what it means to begin to honour the courage and sacrifice of journalists in Gaza – the bravest and best to ever live – but going forward I will direct whatever contributions I have to offer with that front of mind,” she added.

I can’t in good conscience continue to work for Reuters given their betrayal of journalists in Gaza and culpability in the assassination of 245 our colleagues. pic.twitter.com/WO6tjHqDIU

— Valerie Zink (@valeriezink) August 26, 2025

Attacks wreck homes in Gaza City, today’s death toll at 24

At least 24 Palestinians have been killed in different parts of Gaza so far today – in the north, central and southern areas.

At least four houses were hit in Gaza City, which has been under severe attack – specifically its Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods – for about a week now. In the middle area, two Palestinians, including a two-year-old, were killed in the last few hours. They were transferred here to Al-Aqsa Hospital, and their funeral will take place in the next few minutes.

Starvation continues, the killing continues and Palestinians are very desperate.


_{Palestinians look on as smoke rises following an explosion during an Israeli operation in Gaza City, August 26}

Israeli army ‘actively’ operating in Gaza City

Israel is pushing into the very heart of Gaza City with overwhelming force Tanks [and] warplanes are levelling entire blocks, not just destroying buildings, but deliberately destroying and emptying residential neighbourhoods from their residents.

There has been a huge surge in the use of artillery units in the eastern part of Gaza City, destroying civilian infrastructure.

The Israeli military is using military power that is less about precise strikes, and more about erasing what remains of Gaza’s urban fabric – homes, schools, shelters, and hospitals are caught up in the bombardment.

This new military expansion is leaving families with nowhere to go.

Israel turns Gaza City’s Zeitoun from lively neighbourhood into rubble

For more than two weeks, Israeli forces have bombarded the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, as part of plans to seize it. Zeitoun was once a bustling area with busy streets and cafes, but Israel has now reduced it to rubble.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud has been speaking with Palestinians who once called the neighbourhood home.

Three more people starve to death in Gaza: Health Ministry

Gaza’s Health Ministry says three more people have died “due to famine and malnutrition” in the enclave over the past 24 hours, “all of them adults”. Their cases take the total number of hunger-related deaths in Gaza to 303, including 117 children, according to the ministry.

Gaza hospitals face ‘severe and dangerous’ shortage of blood, Health Ministry warns

Gaza’s Health Ministry has issued an urgent appeal to “all concerned parties” to replenish blood stocks as Israel’s war on the enclave continues.

It said hospitals are facing a severe shortage of blood units and components, worsened by the Israeli blockade on aid that has restricted the flow of medical supplies. According to the ministry, hospitals require more than 350 units daily, with the severity of injuries arriving at medical facilities demanding additional supplies to save lives.

It warned that traditional sources for replenishing stocks, including community donation campaigns, are shrinking due to widespread famine and malnutrition.

Nasser Hospital doctors fear they could ‘end up as a patient in their own hospital’

Al Jazeera has spoken with Anneliese Stephenson Wenn, a critical intensive care unit nurse volunteering at Nasser Hospital, about the situation in the facility after yesterday’s deadly attack.

She said hospital staff and patients are understandably “tense” and highly stressed.

“A lot of the staff have suffered severe psychological trauma,” Stephenson Wenn said. “They already know that Israel has no regard for their lives and this [latest attack] has really just cemented that.”

Healthcare workers, she said, are dealing with conditions that are “unsustainable”, often coming into work hungry, sleep-deprived and fearful for their families.

“They’re coming in after staying up all night listening to bomb strikes hit all around them and wondering if they’re going to be the next one that’s hit and if they’re going to end up as a patient in their own hospital,” Stephenson Wenn said.

Patients, she noted, are also deeply shaken after shrapnel from yesterday’s missile attack injured people in the hospital’s patient care area.

“Even when patients come here after being attacked outside the hospital, they’re still in fear for their lives while they’re in the hospital. Being here is no guarantee of safety,” she added.

Gaza death toll rises

At least 75 Palestinians, including 17 aid seekers, have been killed and 370 others injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

It said the total death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 62,819, with 158,629 people wounded. The total number of aid seekers killed has reached 2,140 since May 27, when the GHF aid distribution mechanism was introduced.

EU action on Israel ‘long overdue’: Ireland’s top diplomat

Simon Harris, Ireland’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, has urged the European Union to act against Israel over the Gaza famine.

Responding to an RTE News report that more than 200 former European ambassadors and officials had signed a letter, urging the EU to step up action over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Harris described the letter as a “vital, unprecedented intervention”.

“If we don’t take collective action now against the backdrop of famine, when will we?” he said, adding that “collective EU action could make a powerful difference”.

In a series of social media posts, Harris said if the bloc fails to act, “groups of member states should seek to work together”, but warned this would be “less impactful” and an “indictment on our ability to act as a collective” given the EU has already found Israel in breach of the Association Agreement.

He said EU foreign ministers will meet in Copenhagen this week, where he looks forward to raising the issue with counterparts.

Which foods are denied entry into Gaza by Israel?

Gaza’s Government Media Office says Israel is blocking the entry of 430 types of basic foods needed by children, the sick and the starving, as famine deepens across the enclave.

It said the list of banned items includes:

4 journalists die in IDF strikes amidst spectacular revelation by ex-US official

The IDF has confirmed that it indeed targeted Gaza’s Nasser hospital on Monday. There are reports of four journalists’ death in that strike. These journalists worked for news agencies Reuters and AP and Aljazeera. One of them was a freelance journalist. This comes just days after former spokesperson of the US State Department, Matthew Miller, came out in the open to tell the truth about the Biden administration’s complicity with the Netanyahu government. Rifat Jawaid returns with his sharp analysis of these two developments.

Trump’s ignorance on Gaza, intelligence chief’s sacking on Iran deeply worrying

US President Donald Trump on Monday stunned everyone by admitting that he wasn’t aware of the deaths of six journalists in IDF strikes in Gaza. This comes just days after his administration sacked three top military officers including the head of the Defence Intelligence Agency for disagreeing with Trump’s assessment on the destruction of Iran’s nuclear site in Fordow in June this year. Rifat Jawaid looks at these two developments to draw a parallel with Hans Christian Andersen’s famous story written in the 19th century.

Chris Hedges: Israel's War on UNRWA EXPLAINED

 

US envoy sparks backlash after chastising reporters in Beirut

US special envoy Tom Barrack has triggered a storm of criticism after scolding local reporters during a news conference in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, telling them to “act civilised” and saying their conduct is reflective of regional turmoil.

“Please, be quiet for a moment, and I want to tell you something. The moment that this starts to become chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone,” Barrack, who was in Beirut to meet with senior officials about efforts to disarm Hezbollah, said amid commotion during the news briefing.

“You want to know what’s happening. Act civilised, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region,” he said.

_{US special envoy Tom Barrack}

Barrack’s remarks to journalists in Beirut ‘textbook colonial gesture’

Mohamad Hasan Sweidan, a Beirut-based columnist at The Cradle news site, says the US State Department owes all journalists in the region an apology for US envoy Tom Barrack’s “dehumanising” comments towards reporters in Beirut.

“He dehumanised us, he was arrogant towards us, and he used colonial terms,” Sweidan told Al Jazeera. “Calling journalists ‘animalistic’ and urging them to civilise isn’t just a slip for Tom Barrack … it’s a textbook colonial gesture.”

“I believe that the whole media community in the region should condemn Tom Barrack’s statement, they should ask for an apology from the US State Department,” he added.

Sweidan said he believes Barrack was comfortable using such language in Beirut because of his condescending view towards the Global South generally.

“This reflects what he truly believes. When he is in the West … he views people differently. This view is only for the Global South.

Barrack says Lebanon to present Hezbollah disarmament plan August 31

Speaking after talks with President Joseph Aoun, Barrack said Lebanon will put forward a plan on Sunday aimed at convincing Hezbollah to give up its weapons, with Israel expected to submit a corresponding framework for its military withdrawal.

Barrack said the Lebanese proposal would not involve military coercion but would focus on efforts to encourage Hezbollah to surrender its weapons.

“The Lebanese army and government are not talking about going to war. They are talking about how to convince Hezbollah to give up those arms,” the US envoy said.

The Lebanese cabinet earlier this month tasked the army with drawing up a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms, drawing anger from Hezbollah, which says such calls only serve Israel.

Journalists wounded in Israel’s hospital attack receive care


_{Palestinian television cameraman Jamal Badah, who was seriously wounded in the Israeli attack on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, receives medical treatment at a hospital in Gaza}

<sub>Reuters photojournalist Hatem Omar was wounded in the head and back during the Israeli attack


Another journalist who was wounded during the attack receives treatment</sub>

Israeli army claims it targeted ‘Hamas camera’ in Nasser Hospital attack

The Israeli military has claimed its attack on the southern Gaza hospital this week, which killed at least 21 people, including five journalists, targeted a camera positioned in the area by Hamas to surveil Israeli troops.

“In light of this, the force acted to destroy the camera,” the army said.

Israel routinely justifies its deadly attacks across the Gaza Strip by saying it was targeting Hamas.

The attack on Nasser Hospital on Monday was a so-called “double-tap”, with Israeli forces bombing the facility, then waiting for emergency responders and journalists to arrive on the scene before bombing it a second time.

EU condemns deadly Israeli strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital

The European Union has denounced as “completely unacceptable” the killing of at least 21 people, including journalists, medics, and rescue workers, in an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza yesterday.

In a statement, the EU urged Israel to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and journalists, and carry out a credible investigation into the attack.

“There have been too many fatalities in this conflict,” the bloc said, expressing solidarity with the victims’ families, the press community, and people in Gaza who it said “continue to pay the highest price”.