Thousands protest in Israel to demand hostage swap deal with Palestinians

Thousands of protesters demonstrated Saturday across Israel to demand a hostage swap deal with Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, according to media reports.

Israelis, including families of hostages held in Gaza, demonstrated in several areas of Tel Aviv and surrounding regions, demanding an immediate deal to release the hostages, said Israeli broadcasting authority, KAN.

"A government that sends its children to die in Hamas tunnels does not deserve to remain in power," a relative of one of the captives in Gaza said at a news conference during the protest near the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper

"How can we reach a cease-fire in the north while our children are dying in the tunnels? They are trying to forget the hostages and are working around the clock to cover up their failure," he said.

Other areas, including the Karkur Junction and the city of Haifa in the north, also saw protests, with hundreds demanding the deal, according to the newspaper.

Israel has continued its devastating offensive against Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The onslaught has killed nearly 43,800 people and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.

Israel estimates that more than 100 hostages are still being held by Palestinian factions in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attacks.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid a blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.