Thousands of Israelis demonstrate for new hostage deal

Thousands of Israelis staged renewed protests across the country on Saturday in favour of a new deal with Hamas for the release of hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip.

According to Israeli media, several thousand people attended a number of rallies in just the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

Some protests were explicitly directed against the right-wing government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The organizers of one rally spoke of tens of thousands of participants.

Iair Horn, who was released from captivity in Gaza in mid-February, criticized the renewed military operations in the coastal territory in a speech.

The fighting endangered all hostages, Horn said: “I was there, I heard tanks pass overhead, I walked through tunnels during the bombardments.”

He also demanded the release of all persons still being held by Hamas, including his younger brother.

Footage from the Hostage and Missing Families Forum showed several former captives in the crowd at the protest in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square.

There were also demonstrations in other places in the country, including Haifa and Jerusalem, in favour of a Gaza agreement with Hamas.

According to media reports, more than 100,000 people gathered throughout Israel last Saturday for demonstrations, some of which were critical of the government.

Further large protests took place over the course of the week, particularly in Jerusalem.

Israel’s leadership is currently pushing ahead with another controversial reorganization of the country’s judiciary, angering many Israelis in the process.