A nationwide strike commenced in Israel as several hundred thousand people protested, demanding the government secure the release of 50 hostages still in Gaza held by the militant group Hamas.

Israeli police make dozens of arrests, use water cannons on protesters who gathered for the nationwide demonstration.

U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, a Democrat representing St. Louis County, was repeatedly challenged about the war in Gaza at a town hall that drew about 300 people. The event ended with security officers and police getting into a physical altercation with protesters,

Nicole and Richard Uraga, both 30, tied the knot at the main branch of the New York Public Library in Bryant Park, slipping into the iconic building just before over 700 anti-Israel protesters swarmed with signs, loud music and bombastic political chants.

It’s the biggest escalation yet of the protests at Microsoft.

The group has instead called for smaller protest activity nationwide instead of one mass rally in Tel Aviv. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum has postponed a large protest originally scheduled for next Sunday in order not to disrupt ongoing ceasefire and hostage exchange negotiations,

The protests, which have been ongoing in recent weeks, demand government action to assist soldiers in coping with trauma resulting from their military service. The demonstrations by combat veterans in Jerusalem,

Demonstrators gather during a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)