Israeli public opinion is shifting on the Gaza war — but this may make Netanyahu even more reckless

Families of the hostages are leading calls for a ceasefire. Let us hope the roar of guns in Rafah isn’t used to drown them out

After almost 220 days of war, the Israeli army has managed to liberate alive only three hostages out of the 240 kidnapped by Hamas (104 further hostages were released through a deal; five more have been released unilaterally by Hamas). Picture: AFP via Getty Images

At 7.40pm on Monday May 6, Hamas issued a statement saying it had accepted a ceasefire proposal offered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Spontaneous demonstrations, led by the relatives of Israelis who were kidnapped on October 7, broke out in Tel Aviv and elsewhere in Israel, calling for the government to accept the deal. 

At 10pm on the same night came the first reports from Rafah indicating the long-awaited and feared Israeli attack had begun.