Israeli protesters take to Tel Aviv streets to condemn Gaza reoccupation plan, call for hostage deal

Tens of thousands of Israeli protesters blocked streets in central Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, demanding a prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian factions and voicing opposition to a recent government decision to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, according to local media.

Israel's Channel 12 reported that around 60,000 demonstrators gathered in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, shutting down streets in the city center in defiance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Anti-government demonstrations have escalated in Israel since Netanyahu approved a plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, a move that families of Israeli captives and the military warn would endanger captives' lives and drain army resources.

"Our sons are still in Gaza because someone decided to abandon them," reads a statement delivered by families of the Israeli hostages during the protest.

"Netanyahu's decision on Gaza goes against the opinion of the Chief of Staff (Eyal Zamir) and sacrifices our sons," they warned, stressing that the government's actions "are not in the interest of the state or the people."

Zamir opposes Netanyahu's Gaza reoccupation plan, calling it a "strategic trap" that would exhaust the military for years and risk the lives of captives.

Israel has been facing mounting outrage over its deadly war on Gaza, where more than 61,300 people have been killed since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

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