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Gaza war protests

Protests beginning in 2023

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Some of the protests have resulted in violence and accusations of antisemitism and anti-Palestinianism. In some European countries, and Palestine itself, protestors were criminalized, in countries such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Hungary, which restricted pro-Palestinian political speech, while the Israeli media outlet Ynet reported that Hamas in Gaza tortured and executed anti-Hamas demonstrators. The conflict also sparked large protests at Israeli and U.S. embassies around the world.

Nearly 48,000 demonstrations have been held globally, making up 15% of all demonstrations worldwide. Only approximately 1% of all Gaza war protests have turned violent.

  1. Middle East 22,066 (46.0%): 22,066 events
  2. Europe & Central Asia 8,298 (17.3%): 8,298 events
  3. Africa 6,528 (13.6%): 6,528 events
  4. United States & Canada 6,097 (12.7%): 6,097 events
  5. Asia-Pacific 4,556 (9.50%): 4,556 events
  6. Latin America & the Caribbean 436 (0.91%): 436 events

Israel

Israeli citizens participated in public protests related to war policies. Jewish Israeli anti-war activists experienced targeting by far-right groups, while Palestinian citizens of Israel experienced crackdowns on free speech, with people arrested for social media posts and likes. Anti-war protests erupted in the Triangle and Galilee, with Israeli police repressing demonstrators in Umm El Fahm, a city in the Triangle. In March, another protest occurred in the city, urging Israel to "end its criminal war"

A hostage-solidarity rally in Tel Aviv on 14 October criticized the government's handling of the war and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign. The next day, communications minister Shlomo Karhi proposed emergency regulations allowing for the arrest of people who hurt "national morale". Following a rally in support of Gaza in Haifa, police commissioner Kobi Shabtai threatened to send antiwar protesters to the Gaza Strip on buses. On 28 October, a mob of Israelis gathered at Netanya Academic College chanting "death to Arabs" at Palestinian students living in the campus dormitories.

On 4 November, protests were held near Netanyahu's residence. On 8 November, the Israel Supreme Court allowed police to bar all anti-war protests. On 9 November, Israeli police arrested former member of the Knesset Mohammad Barakeh in Nazareth for attempting to organize an anti-war protest. In an interview with Time Magazine, Barakeh described Israel's crackdowns on free speech as fascist. On 18 November, Israel held its first permitted anti-war protest in Tel Aviv.

The Knesset criminalized the "consumption of terrorist materials" on 8 November. Civil rights groups criticized the bill, stating it "invades the realm of personal thoughts and beliefs". On 2 December, an attorney at Adalah, an Israeli legal center, stated law enforcement was using the law to surveil and silence people, while Association for Civil Rights in Israel said it was "unprecedented in democratic countries".

On 20 November, Kan 11 posted and then deleted a video produced by a private NGO, showing children who were evacuated from Gaza envelope settlements singing "we'll eliminate them all and go back to plowing our fields". On 23 November, communications minister Shlomo Karhi proposed defunding the newspaper Haaretz due to its "defeatist and false propaganda". On 23 November, ahead of the hostage-swap, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stated that any "expressions of joy" related to the release of Palestinian prisoners was "equivalent to backing terrorism".

On 25 November, protesters in Jerusalem called on Netanyahu to resign. Jews and Israelis abroad participated in protests both supporting and protesting the Israeli response in the war. On 29 November, police arrested activists at a Knesset protest opposing the government. Six were arrested on 2 December protesting outside Netanyahu's house in Caesarea. A suspected arson-originated fire was reported at a protest camp for the families of hostages held in Gaza; the families experienced harassment from right-wing Netanyahu supporters.

On 16 December, protesters set up tents outside the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv and stated they would not leave until the government took up hostage negotiations again. Two activists in Haifa were arrested for quietly protesting against the war.

On 26 December 2023, Israeli teenager Tal Mitnick was sentenced to 30 days in jail for refusing the draft for the war which he condemned as "a revenge campaign... not only against Hamas, but against all Palestinian people". This comment was shared by one of several support groups for conscientious objectors to the IDF.

In August 2025, a nationwide protest billed as a "day of struggle" was seen across Israel with protestors calling for a hostage and ceasefire deal. The largest protest was seen in Tel Aviv with more than 300,000 people attending the protest according to organizers, with many expressing doubt in Netanyahu's government.

Open letters

Some groups in Israel expressed support for the war. Dozens of rabbis signed a letter to Netanyahu and senior defence officials stating that "even when the enemy hides behind a human shield... there is no halakhic or moral preclusion, nor legal preclusion, from bombing the enemy after sufficient advance warning".

A group of 100 doctors called "Doctors for the Rights of Israeli Soldiers", signed a statement stating Israel had a "legitimate right" to bomb "terror nests and Hamas headquarters in the hospitals in Gaza". This prompted a harsh reply from the acting head of the ethics office at the Israel Medical Association, Dr. Tami Karni, who wrote that "doctors are sworn to heal, not kill... Israel's doctors have refused to be dragged into the consciental and moral decline of the enemy, and will continue to act accordingly". The White Robes, an organization which numbers in the hundreds, decried the letter as a "provocative pamphlet by an extremist minority", stating that "calls for indiscriminate destruction and killing, even if justified militarily, are not part of the medical ethical code". Physicians for Human Rights published an open letter signed by 350 physicians and medical personnel, which also condemns the aforementioned call.

In September 2023, over 200 Israeli youth released an open letter entitled Youth Against Dictatorship, announcing that they would refuse to serve.

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