Thousands demonstrate in Tel Aviv for release of Gaza hostages

Thousands of people have demonstrated in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities in favour of the release of all hostages held by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"It's time for a deal that saves everyone, the living and the dead, for a deal without 'selection,'" said Maccabit Meyer, a speaker at the central rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday, according to a report in the Times of Israel.

Meyer is the aunt of two twin brothers who are being held by resistance movement Hamas.

The protests were directed against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration, which is seeking a multi-stage and protracted process for the release of the hostages in upcoming indirect negotiations with Hamas.

According to media reports, only 10 of the 20 hostages assumed to be alive are to be released during a 60-day ceasefire.

The remaining 10 hostages would only have a chance of ending their long captivity if Israel and Hamas were to agree on a permanent end to the war.

The Israeli government would have to make a choice as to which ten hostages should be released during the 60-day ceasefire.

Critics accuse Netanyahu of wanting to secure his own political survival by delaying steps towards an end to the war.

The conflict was triggered by the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas and other resistance organizations, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage in Gaza.

According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the conflict.

The figure, which is almost impossible to verify independently, does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.