Israeli protesters demand Gaza ceasefire and Iran holds state funeral as truce holds

• Israeli hostage rallies: Anti-war demonstrators and the families of Israeli hostages held protests in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand a ceasefire in Gaza following the truce between Israel and Iran. Rallygoers urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seize a “historic window of opportunity” to bring remaining hostages home.

• Trump’s Middle East diplomacy: Many protesters made direct appeals to US President Donald Trump to intervene in the conflict. Trump helped broker the Israel-Iran truce and his administration has quietly aimed to revive nuclear talks with Tehran, though he has also exchanged sharp words with top Iranian officials, casting doubt on the diplomatic path forward.

• Funerals in Iran: Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran earlier Saturday for the state funerals of top military officials, nuclear scientists, and women and children killed by Israeli attacks during this month’s 12-day conflict.

Iranian state news on Saturday aired an apparent interview with Ali Shamkhani —a close aide to Iran’s supreme leader who had previously been reported dead by both Israeli and Iranian media.

Mystery mounted about Shamkhani’s fate in the days after he was reported dead following Israel’s June 13 strikes on Iran.

Last Friday, multiple Iranian outlets — including IRNA, Tasnim and Fars — claimed Shamkhani had not died but instead had been “severely injured and hospitalized” in the strike. They did not, however, release new photos of him.

Then Shamkhani appeared in pictures from Iranian state media coverage of Saturday’s state funeral for those slain during the 12-day conflict with Israel.

On the same day, Iranian state news agency IRIB ran what it billed as Shamkhani’s first television interview with Iranian state media since the attack.

CNN cannot independently verify his identity or the date the interview was recorded.

More on the interview: Shamkhani is shown holding a walking stick and using a breathing aid. He references an Israeli strike on his home, saying he was trapped by rubble for three hours following the attack.

“I did my morning prayer while under the rubble,” he said.

IRIB also released footage of what it said was Shamkhani’s home, reduced to broken concrete and rebar.

“At first, I thought it was an earthquake. But when I heard the sound of vehicles, I realized it was not,” he said in the interview, adding that he sustained internal injuries in the attack and that his rib cage was fractured.

“I know why they targeted me, but I cannot say,” he added.

CNN has reached out to Israeli authorities for comment.

Ayman Odeh, an Arab lawmaker in Israel facing impeachment proceedings, called for unity and a ceasefire at an anti-war protest in Kfar Saba, central Israel.

“We must reach a comprehensive deal. We must bring back all the hostages. We must end the war on Gaza,” said Odeh, who leads the Hadash-Ta’al party in Israel’s parliament. “Enough! Enough with the wars!”

Odeh, who was invited to speak by the organizers of the protest, concluded his remarks by calling to continue the demonstrations. “After so much death, suffering, and tears, better days will come. We will bring them,” he told the crowd.

Some background: Odeh faces impeachment proceedings following a post on social media at the beginning of the last Israel-Gaza ceasefire in January, which hailed the release of “(Israeli) hostages and (Palestinian) prisoners.” The post outraged right-wing members of Israel’s parliament, called the Knesset, who initiated the proceedings.

In a subsequent defense of the post, Odeh said many of the prisoners released were minors who had not been charged with any crime.

“While it is clear that many of you tend to see primarily the Jewish suffering, I see and feel the suffering of both peoples,” Odeh said.

Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters packed Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday to call for an end to the Gaza war and a return of the remaining hostages.

“It’s big, it’s vibrant, it’s noisy,” CNN’s Nic Robertson, who is at the scene, said of the atmosphere.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum estimated that 30,000 people came out.

Many held signs showing pictures of the hostages that said, “Bring them home now,” a frequent refrain during the weekly protests. Others held signs that appealed to US President Donald Trump to step in and demand an end to the war.

One sign said, “President Trump, end the crisis in Gaza! Nobel is waiting!”

Trump was part of the effort to secure a ceasefire after 12 days of conflict between Israel and Iran. He also demanded that the Israeli military stop what the government said would be a major attack on Iran, prompted by a ballistic missile launch at northern Israel after the ceasefire went into effect. Israel instead targeted a radar north of Tehran.

Trump’s perceived ability to force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hand has led many protesters to renew their calls for him to step in and force an end to the war in Gaza.

Ruby Chen — the mother of Itay Chen, who was killed in the October 7, 2023, attacks and whose body is still being held in Gaza — said the right thing to do was to “return all the hostages, even at the price of ending the war.”

The large rally happening now in Tel Aviv comes at the end of a day of protest in Israel, with several smaller demonstrations held across the country demanding an end to the war in Gaza and return of Israeli hostages.

In the northern Israeli port city of Haifa, demonstrators held up signs demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leave office.

“The war must end, the hostages must return, the government must fall!” one read. “How much more blood will be spilled before the guilty one goes?” read another.

At Alonim Junction in northern Israel, demonstrators held up hands covered in red paint and chanted, “We have no soldiers for the wars for Netanyahu’s welfare.”

In the central Israeli city of Ness Ziona, protesters held a large banner that simply said: “End this f***ing war.”

The hostages held in Gaza for more than 630 days of war should not be treated as “bargaining chips,” said Israeli lawmaker Yair Golan on Saturday, calling for a ceasefire and hostage deal at an anti-government protest in Haifa.

“The hostages are not bargaining chips. They are our brothers and sisters,” said Golan, head of the left-wing Democrats party. “The soldiers fighting in Gaza are our sons and daughters. And anyone who does not place their return at the top of the national priority list — is neither a Zionist nor worthy of leadership.”

Golan, who has been sharply critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, added that Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza “serves only the survival of the coalition.”

The country’s ceasefire with Iran, achieved after 12 days of conflict, has led to a renewed push from mediators to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Protesters across Israel — forbidden from organizing their demonstrations for the last two weeks because of emergency guidelines during the conflict with Iran — are now packing the streets of major cities in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Haifa.

As renewed protests against the war in Gaza begin tonight in Israel, the mother of a hostage is calling on US President Donald Trump to demand an end to the conflict.

Viki Cohen, mother of 20-year-old Nimrod Cohen, told CNN she feels there is “momentum” now to end the war and to bring all of the hostages home.

“He can pressure our prime minister to do it, to finish the war in Gaza. And in this way all the hostages can come home, and my son among them.”

There are 50 hostages still held in Gaza, of which at least 20 are believed to be alive.

The weekly anti-war and anti-government protests that have packed the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities were forbidden during the 12-day conflict with Iran because of emergency guidelines prohibiting large gatherings. With the restrictions lifted, organizers are renewing the protests, particularly in light of the ceasefire with Iran.

Trump said Friday he believes a ceasefire will be agreed to in Gaza “within the next week.”

CNN witnessed the Hosseini infants ceremony in Tehran, which took place Friday in the background of Iran’s tensions with Israel and the US.

One mother showed CNN’s Fred Pleitgen a band on her baby’s head, which she said is a “symbol saluting Imam Hossein … who’s the leader of all the oppressed who stand against oppressors and don’t submit.”

Crowds chanted against the US and Israel during the ceremony while videos were shown of Iran’s missile program.

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As tens of thousands gathered in Iran’s capital, Tehran, for the state funeral of those killed in Israeli strikes, a post on the Iranian supreme leader’s X account reiterated his vow that the Islamic nation will never surrender to the United States.

It was Khamenei’s first post since the start of the state funeral. The message did not address the event directly.

The supreme leader has not appeared in public since the start of Iran’s conflict with Israel.

A top Iranian commander whose disappearance from public view after Israeli attacks sparked rumors he’d been killed attended Saturday’s funeral procession in Iran’s capital.

Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, thought to be a close aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was seen among the crowds in Tehran at the state funerals being interviewed on camera.

Asked by a reporter if he had a message for the people of Iran, Qaani said that “we have been successful so far, and from now on we will also move forward successfully.”

Qaani was not seen for days after the unprecedented Israeli strikes but is one of the highest-profile military figures to survive.

Qasem Soleimani, his predecessor in the Quds Force — the overseas branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps — was killed in a US drone strike during the first term of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani — another high-profile Iranian military and political official previously thought to be dead — also appeared at Saturday’s state funerals, according to pictures published by Iranian state media.

Iran’s president thanked citizens for turning out to mourn those killed in the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire.

“I sincerely thank you, dear people,” Masoud Pezeshkian wrote in a post on X Saturday.

He added that “serving such a free-spirited nation is the honor of my life.”

Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran today for the state funerals of top military officials, nuclear scientists, and civilians killed by Israeli attacks earlier this month.

A host of senior Iranian officials joined the mass mourning in Tehran on Saturday for those killed in Israel’s attacks, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was absent.

Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since the start of Iran’s conflict with Israel, did not immediately issue a statement regarding the state funeral, which was held for 60 top military officials, nuclear scientists, and women and children killed in the 12-day conflict.

The chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, was also not seen at the ceremony, but issued a statement praising people for showing up to what he described as a “unique and multi-million-strong funeral.”

Senior officials in attendance included Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei.

More on Khamenei: The 86-year-old supreme leader made his first public statement since the Israel-Iran truce on Thursday, issuing the remarks in a recorded message from an undisclosed location. Khamenei declared victory in the conflict despite Israel’s killing of senior Iranian leaders and the strikes on Tehran’s nuclear sites.

This post has been updated to reflect Mousavi’s statement.

Sixty coffins made their way through Tehran, carrying military leaders, nuclear scientists and civilians killed in Israeli attacks this month, CNN’s Fred Pleitgen reports.

Attendees said they wanted to honor those who were killed, but also vowed revenge on both Israel and the US.

Watch here:

The bodies of those killed in Israeli airstrikes have begun to arrive at a cemetery in Iran’s capital for burial.

The remains of Hassan Salehi, who was killed in an Israeli attack on Iran’s Evin prison, have arrived at Behesht-e Zahra, the largest cemetery in Tehran, Iran’s semi-official state news agency Tasnim reported.

Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants, is set to visit Washington, DC on Monday, according to a source familiar with the planning.

The visit comes ahead of a meeting between Netanyahu and President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there is no set date for a Netanyahu visit, but Trump is “very open” to it.

This past week, Trump denounced an ongoing corruption trial against Netanyahu as a “witch hunt” in a social media post, which was hailed by allies of the long-time Israeli leader.

Hundreds of thousands filled the streets of Tehran on Saturday to commemorate the senior military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians killed during Iran’s 12-day conflict with Israel.

As mourners clad in all black chanted death to Israel and America, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged the loss of lives was “hard and painful” but pledged the nation would return to “new glory.”

The brief and bloody conflict between Iran and Israel, which Israel said aimed at preventing Iran developing a nuclear weapon, saw casualties on both sides and ended with a US-brokered ceasefire.

Here’s what you need to know:

Emirates, one of the United Arab Emirates’ flagship carriers, has canceled all fights to and from Iran’s capital Tehran until July 5 due to the “regional situation,” the company announced Saturday.

The company said that customers connecting through Dubai with final destinations in Iran “will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin until further notice.”

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers. We continue to closely monitor developments,” the company said in a statement.

The Israeli military detained six settlers in the occupied West Bank overnight after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say the suspects attacked security forces.

The IDF says they spotted Israeli civilians driving toward a closed military zone near the Palestinian village of Kafr Malik, where days earlier settlers set fire to homes and vehicles in an attack Palestinian officials say killed three people.

When Israeli forces approached the group, the IDF says the soldiers were physically and verbally assaulted. In addition, the suspects vandalized and damaged the security forces’ vehicles and attempted to ram the forces.

Six suspects were apprehended and transferred to police, the IDF said.

Some background: Israel has been ramping up military operations in the West Bank alongside the offensive in Gaza and attacks on Iran and its proxies, displacing thousands of Palestinians and razing entire communities as it targets what it says are militants operating in the territory.

Earlier this week, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the West Bank, Palestinian health authorities said. The Israeli military said that “terrorists hurled explosive devices at IDF forces.”

Speaking on the day of state funerals for those killed in Israeli strikes, Iran’s foreign minister said that the loss of lives is “hard and painful” but their “memory will live on.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a post on Instagram Saturday, stressed that the “pride of a nation is paramount” as he pledged that Iran would return to “new glory and greater strength” following its 12-day conflict with Israel.

He added that the 60 who were killed and whose bodies were laid to rest Saturday – in an event which saw hundreds of thousands line the streets of Tehran – gave their “blood” but did not surrender their honor.

Top military commanders, scientists and civilians were killed in the brief and bloody conflict, which Israel said aimed at preventing Iran developing a nuclear weapon. Tehran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

The US military did not use bunker-buster bombs on one of Iran’s largest nuclear sites last weekend because the site is so deep that the bombs likely would not have been effective, the US’ top general told senators during a briefing on Thursday.

The comment by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, which was described by three people who heard his remarks and a fourth who was briefed on them, is the first known explanation given for why the US military did not use the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb against the Isfahan site in central Iran.

Questions have swirled over the past week about the extent of the damage to Isfahan and other sites following US strikes on three of the country’s nuclear facilities.

US officials believe Isfahan’s underground structures house nearly 60% of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, which Iran would need in order to ever produce a nuclear weapon.

US B2 bombers dropped over a dozen bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites.

But Isfahan was only struck by Tomahawk missiles launched from a US submarine.

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