Video Ad Feedback Tens of thousands of protesters at Hostages Square call for an end to the Gaza war 00:43 – Source: CNN Tens of thousands of protesters at Hostages Square call for an end to the Gaza war 00:43

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.”

18:38 (IST) Jun 27

Iran has ruled out plans to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on state television on Thursday, directly contradicting US President Donald Trump’s claim that talks were scheduled for next week, The Times of Israel reported.

Araghchi stated that Tehran was still evaluating whether engaging in renewed talks with Washington served the nation’s interests. He recalled that five previous rounds of negotiations were cut short following attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities by Israel and subsequently the United States. While Washington and Jerusalem said the strikes aimed to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Tehran insists its programme is strictly for civilian use. However, Iran’s uranium enrichment to 60 percent is widely recognised as suitable only for weapons. Jerusalem claims to have intelligence that Tehran was actively pursuing a nuclear bomb.

Araghchi described the damage from the recent 12-day conflict with Israel as “serious,” adding that assessments were underway. “A detailed assessment of the damage is being carried out by experts from the Atomic Energy Organization,” he said. “Now, the discussion of demanding damages and the necessity of providing them has been placed as one of the important issues on the country’s diplomatic agenda,” he added. “These damages are serious, and expert studies and political decision-making are underway at the same time.”

Meanwhile, Iranian lawmakers passed a “binding” bill to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. Araghchi confirmed that the bill had been passed by the legislature and approved by the top vetting body. “From now on, our relationship and cooperation with the agency will take a new form,” he said. (ANI)

Thousands of enraged Iranians burned the US flag and chanted “death to America” and “Israel” Saturday as the Islamic Republic buried the head of its armed forces and other top commanders who were killed during the 12-day war.

The caskets of about 60 corpses, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s chief Generals Hossein Salami and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, were marched through the streets of downtown Tehran for the first public funerals since President Trump helped broker a June 23 cease-fire between the two Middle Eastern countries.

“Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” the crowds screamed as flags of both countries were set ablaze.

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8 Thousands of Iranians gather in the streets of Tehran to mourn the deaths of several Iranian armed forces generals and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli airstrikes during the “12-day War” on June 28, 2025. AP

Salami, the head of the IRGC’s ballistic missile program, and Hajizadeh were both killed on June 13 — the first day of the war — when Israel launched a massive overnight airstrike on Iran.

At least 20 Iranian military commanders and several nuclear scientists working on the country’s weapons program were also taken out in the preemptive strikes.

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Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, did not make an appearance at Saturday’s funerals — and has not been seen in public since before the outbreak of the Israel-Iran conflict.

Khamenei, 86, has been hiding in an underground bunker for weeks, though he made a rare televised appearance to ludicrously claim victory over Israel while delivering a “hand slap to America’s face.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended the funeral services, as well as Gen. Esmail Qaani, who heads the foreign wing of the IRGC, the Quds Force.

8 A truck carries the coffins of dead Iranian Revolutionary Guards commanders and other military officials. AFP via Getty Images

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8 A truck carries the coffins during the funeral processions through the crowded streets of Tehran. AFP via Getty Images

Gen. Ali Shamkhani was also spotted at the funeral leaning on a cane, likely due to injuries he sustained in the Israeli attack that killed his colleagues.

More than 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists were killed during the nearly two weeks of conflict between the warring countries, which saw Israel hit eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites, according to Tel Aviv officials.

More than 1,000 Iranians were killed, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group.

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8 An Iranian holds up a poster of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the late Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini during the state funeral on June 28, 2025. AFP via Getty Images

8 Mourners wave flags during the funeral procession. AFP via Getty Images

The Islamic Republic — the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism — retaliated by firing more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, successfully infiltrating the Iron Dome and killing 28 people.

Iran has continued to maintain that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, but Israelis feared they were purifying uranium to near weapons grade — and viewed it as an existential threat to the Jewish state’s existence.

Israel launched its attack after Iran ignored repeated warnings to halt experiments at its nuclear sites, and followed failed denuclearization talks with the US.

8 A mourner holds a picture of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed by Israeli airstrikes. AP

8 Armed guards positioned on the rooftops overlooking the funeral procession in Tehran, Iran on June 28, 2025. via REUTERS

8 Flowers are placed on the flag-draped coffin of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Hossein Salami. AFP via Getty Images

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The US entered the conflict on June 21 when it dropped “bunker-buster” bombs on the highly secure Fordow nuclear facility, while 30 Tomahawk missiles fired from submarines 400 miles away struck the Natanz and Isfahan sites, causing significant damage and setting back Iran’s nuclear program.

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The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it’s downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn’t long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It’s like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they’re still in the testing phase. It isn’t terrible, but something isn’t quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it’s probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.