
'It's the same obstacle every time... Bibi!' - Tel Aviv protesters demand end to Gaza war, return of all Hamas-held captives
"Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square on Saturday to continue urging the government to end the war in Gaza and pursue a ceasefire agreement that would secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. Footage shows brief skirmishes erupting as pro-government supporters confronted protesters rallying with portraits of the captives. The crowd can be seen chanting, drumming, waving Israeli flags and holding signs including, 'stop the war.' "Whether it's this deal or the last deal, we've had the chance on the table. The IDF is on the same page as the Hostage Family Forum that the best way to get hostages back is to end this war. Bibi is using them, tokenising them, saying that we can't end the war until we get all the hostages back," one protester said. "It's been the same obstacle every time, it's been Bibi. It's not about the hostages' lives to him, it's not about our lives to him, it's not about our security to him. It's about corruption. It's about his power - and I think the last few days are just emblematic of that," he continued. The protest, organised by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, is the latest in a wave of mass anti-government demonstrations that have swept across Israel in recent weeks. It comes after the Israeli Defence Forces announced on Friday that they have recovered the bodies of two hostages during an operation in Gaza. The Israel-Hamas war erupted on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian group launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing 1,139 people and kidnapping more than 200 others, according to Israeli officials. Israel's subsequent military operations in Gaza have killed more than 63,300 people and injured over 159,800 others at the time of publication, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health."