Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli protesters took to the streets on Saturday night demanding a hostage swap with Palestinian factions in Gaza.
According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, thousands of demonstrators gathered in many cities across Israel, including Tel Aviv, Haifa and the Karkur Junction area near Haifa.
According to the publication, the demonstrators chanted demands that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government immediately negotiate a hostage swap deal with Palestinian factions in Gaza.
Israel says the Palestinian opposition group Hamas still holds more than 100 hostages in Gaza, some of whom are dead.
For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas that would secure a prisoner swap, a ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
However, the mediation efforts have stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands for an end to the conflict.
According to local health officials, Israel’s current conflict in Gaza has killed over 40,900 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, and injured some 94,700 others.
The ongoing siege of the enclave has led to acute shortages of food, drinking water and medicine, leaving much of the region devastated.
The International Court of Justice has accused Israel of genocide for its actions in Gaza.
Also Read: EU Foreign Policy Chief Wants the Organization to Censure Israeli Ministers
