Many Israelis feel that freeing the hostages cannot happen if the government refuses to come to terms with Hamas and pursues its policy of trying to eliminate the group militarily.

Jerusalem — Israeli protesters demanding a deal to free hostages in Gaza attempted to shut down the country Sunday in one of the largest and fiercest protests in 22 months of war. Organizers, representing the families of hostages, asserted that hundreds of thousands of people took part.

Israelis took to the streets on Sunday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to conquer the rest of the Gaza Strip rather than attempt to negotiate an end to the war under which Hamas would free its last hostages.