Tens of thousands of Israelis protested across the country on Sunday to demand a hostage exchange deal with Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of protesters gathered on Begin Street in central Tel Aviv to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reach a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, Israeli daily “Yedioth Ahronoth” reported.
Demonstrators blocked several streets in Jerusalem, Haifa, Ashdod, Ramat Negev and Kfar Tavor, the state-run KAN public service reported.
Thousands of people also staged a mass march outside government offices in Jerusalem demanding an urgent deal with Palestinian factions to protect the lives of the remaining prisoners in Gaza.
The protests came hours after the Israeli military said early Sunday it had recovered the bodies of six hostages from the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli daily Haaretz, citing an Israeli source, said three of the six hostages were to be freed in the first phase of a prisoner exchange deal currently being negotiated.
“They appeared on the lists submitted in early July. It was possible to bring them back alive,” the source said.
Hamas said six hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Israel estimates that Hamas is holding more than 100 hostages in Gaza, some of whom are believed to have already been killed.
For months, the United States, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to secure a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip. But mediation efforts have stalled over Netanyahu’s refusal to comply with Hamas’ demands to end the war.
Israel continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
So far, almost 40,700 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, AA writes.
Photo ©️ Anadolu Agency
