The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which organized the "Israel on Hold” protests, said that over a million people took part in the demonstrations across the country on Sunday. Per the organization, almost 500,000 protesters gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square.

Among them are many Palestinian citizens of Israel. They make up 20% of the population and in the early days of the war, many were afraid to speak out against Israel’s attacks on Gaza. Israeli authorities cracked down on dissent, with arrests, and other punishments over social media posts and demonstrations.