Israelis protest government's failure to secure release of captives in Gaza, demand ceasefire

(MENAFN) Israelis once again took to the streets of the occupied territories, including Tel Aviv, to protest the government's failure to secure the release of Zionist captives held in Gaza. A large-scale demonstration took place in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, with protesters demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet reach an agreement with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas for a prisoner exchange.

The protests escalated into clashes between demonstrators and Israeli police, leading to several arrests. Families of the Zionist captives also took the opportunity to address US President-elect Donald Trump during their weekly meeting, urging him to pressure Netanyahu to negotiate with Hamas. In an urgent message, the families claimed that Netanyahu was attempting to deceive Trump, suggesting that he could be the last person able to influence the Israeli leader.

The families further implored Netanyahu not to settle for a partial deal and instead push for the release of all Zionist captives held by Hamas, warning that failing to do so would result in the deaths of their loved ones. Earlier, the families had announced that they would hold another demonstration to continue pressing for action and to protest the perceived ineffectiveness of Netanyahu's government.

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