Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his planned military takeover of Gaza City in the face of growing international condemnation and anger, with United Nations officials warning Sunday the move would lead to “another calamity” in the embattled,

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.

Israelis took to the streets on Sunday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to conquer the rest of the Gaza Strip rather than attempt to negotiate an end to the war under which Hamas would free its last hostages.

As the IDF begins what could be the bloodiest phase yet of the war in Gaza, opposition to the conflict inside the IDF — both among leadership and the rank and file — is becoming more and more common.

The proposition the militant group said it agreed to was nearly the same as one that had been offered by Israel last month.