Protests in Israel against Netanyahu and to demand an agreement to release detainees in Gaza

Tel Aviv: Thousands of Israelis demonstrated, on Saturday, in various cities, against the current government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, and to demand the conclusion of a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that the families of the prisoners detained in Gaza demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Defense headquarters in the Kirya area in Tel Aviv, to demand the immediate conclusion of a prisoner exchange deal for the release of their children.

Dozens of Israelis also closed a section of the vital Ayalon Street in downtown Tel Aviv, to demand the release of detainees in Gaza, by concluding an exchange deal, as the commission reported.

Thousands of Israelis began to flock to Kaplan Square in downtown Tel Aviv to participate in the central demonstration demanding early elections and concluding a prisoner exchange deal.

The Karkur intersection near the city of Haifa (north) also witnessed the participation of hundreds of Israelis in a demonstration demanding the release of prisoners.

Yedioth Ahronoth indicated that hundreds of demonstrators also gathered in front of the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the city of Caesarea (north).

The demonstrators carried signs reading, “Netanyahu, you are guilty.”

The pace of demonstrations across Israel is expected to increase during the following hours.

Families of detainees in the Gaza Strip demonstrate almost daily to demand the conclusion of a deal leading to the release of their children.

Lapid: There is no victory without the return of the prisoners

For his part, opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Saturday that Israel will not win its war without returning detainees in Gaza.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted Lapid as saying during his participation in the Tel Aviv demonstration, “There will not be an easy deal, but a deal that brings the prisoners back to the homeland is worth the price, and will receive our full acceptance and support.” He added: “There is no victory without their return.”

Lapid repeatedly attacked the policy of Netanyahu and his government in dealing with the issue of prisoners detained in Gaza, accusing them of sacrificing them.

Qatar and Egypt, with the help of the United States, are mediating between Israel and Hamas, in order to reach a new ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners.

Israel estimates that there are more than 125 prisoners in Gaza, while it holds at least 8,800 Palestinians in its prisons, according to official sources from both sides.

A truce previously prevailed between Hamas and Israel for a week from November 24 until December 1, 2023, during which a ceasefire took place, a prisoner exchange took place, and very limited humanitarian aid was brought into Gaza, with Qatari-Egyptian-American mediation.