STORY: Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas staged a protest outside the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem on Thursday (July 31), calling for a ceasefire and the immediate return of their loved ones.

Demonstrators held up banners and photographs of hostages, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finalise a deal a few hours before he met Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff.

In Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, a separate anti-war protest took place outside the main military recruitment centre, where two young Israelis announced their refusal to enlist in the army.

The two 18-year-olds Ayana Gerstmann and Yuval Peleg cited opposition to the war in Gaza and Israel’s military presence in the West Bank.

Scuffles broke out between the military service refusers' supporters and other Israelis who arrived at the centre to accompany family and friends on their enlistment day as police tried to separate the groups.

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VIDEO SHOWS: PROTESTERS LED BY MOTHERS OF HOSTAGES AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS IN FRONT OF PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE IN JERUSALEM, CALLING FOR CEASEFIRE AND RETURN OF ALL HOSTAGES, MILITARY SERVICE REFUSER AND SUPPORTERS PROTEST IN FRONT OF THE ISRAELI ARMY RECRUITMENT HEADQUARTERS AS TWO ISRAELI TEENAGERS ARRIVE TO REFUSE MILITARY SERVICE IN PROTEST OVER GAZA WAR AND SUFFERING, SOUNDBITES FROM PROTESTERS, OTHER ISRAELIS CONFRONT PROTESTERS

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SHOWS: JERUSALEM (JULY 31, 2027) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. HOSTAGES MOTHERS AND FAMILIES PROTESTING IN FRONT OF PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE IN JERUSALEM, CALLING FOR CEASEFIRE AND RETURN OF ALL HOSTAGES

2. PICTURES OF HOSTAGES AND BANNERS BEING HELD UP

3. MAN HOLDING PICTURE OF HOSTAGE ELKANA BOHBOT

4. POSTER READING (English) 'END THE WAR. SEAL THE DEAL'

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) YAEL ENGEL LICHI, THE AUNT OF FORMER HOSTAGE, TEENAGER OPHIR ENGEL WHO WAS HELD BY HAMAS FOR 54 DAYS, STANDING IN FRONT OF THE CROWD WITH BIG BANNER READING (Hebrew) 'A MOTHER WILL NEVER GIVE UP', SAYING:

"President Trump, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and (Trump's envoy Steve) Witkoff , please, end this nightmare for all the Israeli people and this nightmare for all the families that cannot live anymore and this nightmare for the hostages in the tunnels who cannot breathe and don't have food. Please help to finish this."

6. EINAV ZANGAUKER, MOTHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE MATAN ZANGAUKER AND PROTEST LEADER, WIPING TEARS

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DALIA CUSNIR, SISTER-IN-LAW OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE EITAN HORN AND HIS BROTHER, RELEASED HOSTAGE IAIR HORN, SAYING:

"We're standing here today, now, in front of the prime minister's office because we want to ask Netanyahu, together with (Trump's envoy Steve) Witkoff, to sign the deal, end the war that will bring an end to the suffering of the 50 hostages, the entire Israeli society, our families, but also will be able to bring a new tomorrow for the region, new hope for all the citizens of the Middle East. We believe in a better future. We sanctify life. We want to rebuild Israel. This is why we need our brothers and sisters here together. Now."

RAMAT GAN, ISRAEL (JULY 31, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

8. VARIOUS OF GROUP CALLING FOR SOLDIERS TO REFUSE ARMY DRAFT IN ISRAEL, PROTESTING OUTSIDE THE ISRAELI MILITARY RECRUITMENT CENTRE NEAR TEL AVIV, PROTESTERS CHANTING SLOGANS

9. PROTESTER HOLDING UP SIGN READING (English): 'END THE OCCUPATION'

10. MILITARY SERVICE REFUSERS SCUFFLING WITH OTHER ISRAELIS AS POLICE TRY TO SEPARATE THE GROUPS

11. VARIOUS OF ISRAELIS WHO ARRIVED TO ACCOMPANY FAMILY AND FRIENDS ON THEIR RECRUITMENT DAY, SHOUT AT PROTESTERS

12. WOMAN PROTESTER HOLDING UP BANNER READING (English) 'NO WAR BUT CLASS WAR'

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) 18-YEAR-OLD YUVAL PELEG, WHO CAME TO THE RECRUITMENT CENTRE ON HIS ENLISTMENT DAY TO REFUSE MILITARY SERVICE, SAYING:

"I'm here to refuse the genocide, first and foremost, to refuse to participate and to be complicit in genocide. And I mean to send a message to everyone who might hear it - that as long as things go on like this, as long as the genocide continues, we will never reach safety and peace, will never live at all to be frank. And I hope people will understand that this opposition is important."

14. VARIOUS OF POLICE TRYING TO DISTANCE THE OTHER ISRAELIS AWAY FROM THE PROTEST

15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) 18-YEAR-OLD AYANA GERSTMANN, WHO CAME TO THE RECRUITMENT CENTRE ON HER ENLISTMENT DAY TO REFUSE MILITARY SERVICE, SAYING:

"I am refusing because I can't be a part of the system which rules in the occupied territories in the West Bank. And I can't be a part of the war in Gaza, of the misery and suffer caused to so many people."

16. YUVAL PELEG LEAVING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ARMY

17. VARIOUS OF AYANA GERSTMANN EMBRACING HER FAMILY AS MAN APPROACHES THEM, SAYING: (Hebrew) "lost seven friends — seven people I know. They fell for you, so that you and I could live here. Have you no shame? Really, no shame at all?"

18. GERSTMANN LEAVING AS A MAN BEING HEARD CHANTING: (Hebrew): "Ayana, well done!"