Students from 70 schools in Israel demand the government to reach an agreement with Hamas.

Israel witnessed widespread student protests today, Monday, with the start of the new school year, as student bodies in 70 high schools demanded that the Israeli government finalize a prisoner exchange deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that students closed the entrances of 17 schools in central Israel, expressing their rejection of the government's continued procrastination on the prisoner issue.

The newspaper noted that the student bodies announced a one-day strike that included dozens of schools across the country, as a protest message against the government's disregard for the demands of the families of prisoners held in Gaza.

A demonstration was also organized in front of the home of Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs and head of the negotiating team, Ron Dermer, where protesters demanded the swift conclusion of the deal.

In the same context, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that high school students organized simultaneous protests, affirming in their statement: "We cannot accept the reality of returning to normal life while 48 are held captive in Gaza."

The new school year has begun, and according to Yedioth Ahronoth, it started with the participation of 2,587,000 students after the summer vacation, but the atmosphere of returning to school was overshadowed by the anger of students and the families of prisoners.

These developments come alongside ongoing demonstrations by the families of prisoners in various Israeli cities, pressuring the government to finalize a prisoner exchange deal, even if the price is to stop the war on Gaza.

Hamas had agreed to the mediators' proposal, which includes a 60-day ceasefire during which negotiations would take place for a comprehensive halt to the war, alongside a prisoner exchange, the introduction of humanitarian aid, and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from some locations in the sector.

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of committing war crimes in Gaza – rejected the offer, insisting on a plan to expand military operations to occupy the city of Gaza, amid increasing warnings of a humanitarian disaster.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a genocidal war in the Gaza Strip with absolute American support, resulting by Sunday evening in the martyrdom of 63,459 Palestinians and the injury of 160,256 others, most of whom are children and women, alongside more than 9,000 missing and famine that has killed 339 Palestinians, including 124 children.