More than 15,000 people have taken to the streets in Israel to call for an end to the war in Gaza and urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a deal to free the remaining hostages.
Families and supporters of the hostages still being held by Hamas thronged Jerusalem’s Paris Square, with others gathering in Tel Aviv.
Of the 48 hostages still being held in Gaza, as many as 20 are believed to be alive.
Israel has yet to formally respond to a deal that would see the release of some hostages, but has previously demanded the return of all the hostages in any agreement.
Netanyahu insists total victory over Hamas will bring the hostages home.
Hamas took 251 hostages back to Gaza after its attack in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which some 1,200 people died.
Israel launched a massive retaliation campaign to destroy Hamas which has resulted in the death of at least 64,368 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable, although Israel disputes them.
Voices of protest on Israeli streets and international demands from some of its allies to stop the military offensive in Gaza have been growing steadily.
Yet all the signs are that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is preparing to intensify the war, as the Netanyahu government vows to gain full control of the Gaza Strip and finally defeat Hamas.
Credit: bbc.com
