The post Protesters gather in Tel Aviv to call for new elections and release of hostages appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Outlets in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Palestine suggested that Hamas was close to agreeing on a multi-stage hostage swap deal that would coincide with temporary pauses in fighting, culminating in an enduring ceasefire with US-backed assurances that Israel would withdraw its troops from Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Israel on Wednesday that the Biden administration is determined to secure a cease-fire in Gaza that includes the release of Israeli hostages. The United States' top diplomat was in the Middle Eastern country to meet with high-ranking officials,

Protesters are demanding the government reach a deal to bring the hostages back from Gaza, for new elections and the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The demonstration took place as a delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo for cease-fire talks with Israel.

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Thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accept a ceasefire agreement with the Islamist movement Hamas that would see the remaining Israeli hostages brought home from Gaza.