Saturday’s toll in Gaza, at least 61 dead, added to a grim ledger, even as Washington called for an immediate pause in the bombing. The Israeli military insisted that Gaza City remained perilously unsafe, underscoring the difficulty of protecting civilians in a densely populated enclave.

Back in Israel, the war’s human consequences were on display in broad daylight. Tens of thousands, among them relatives of hostages, marched through Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem, pressing the government to end the campaign and bring captives home. The demonstrations revealed a subtle but growing tension: a society grappling with the costs of conflict while the machinery of war grinds on.