Tens of thousands of Israelis take to streets to protest Netanyahu government

Tens of thousands of Israelis turned out in Tel Aviv and other locations on Saturday evening for fresh protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and for a deal leading to the release of hostages by the resistance movement Hamas.

Protesters in Tel Aviv chanted: "Alive, alive - and not in body bags".

The US newspaper The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the number of abductees still alive could be as low as 50. Officially, around 120 people are still said to be in the hands of Hamas and other resistance groups in the Gaza Strip.

According to the organizers, the demonstration in Tel Aviv was the largest since October 7 last year.

The news website ynet reported, citing the organisers, that around 150,000 people protested against the government in the city.

Mass protests against Netanyahu's leadership also took place again in Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba and other places. Protesters also called for fresh elections. The fresh demonstrations Saturday come after a week of similar protests.

At a rally in Tel Aviv, many people also commemorated the birthday of a kidnapped female soldier who turned 20 years old while being held hostage on Saturday.

Many demonstrators displayed posters with the face of the young Israeli woman. Her parents demanded her release in a speech. Footage taken by the organisers showed the mother crying during the protest in Tel Aviv.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt are indirectly mediating between Israel and Hamas in order to achieve a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners - so far without success.