Return of Hostages Detained in Gaza Strip and Call for Prime Minister's Resignation
In Israel, which is at war with the Palestinian armed group Hamas, large-scale protests demanding the return of hostages and the resignation of the government continue.
On the 20th (local time), according to foreign and local media, thousands of citizens participated in a large-scale protest in Tel Aviv, Israel's largest city, calling for the return of hostages held in the Gaza Strip and early elections to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Protesters marched in Habima Square in central Tel Aviv. Some held signs accusing Netanyahu of being the "face of evil" and demanded immediate elections. They also insisted that the government must immediately engage in negotiations for the release of the hostages.
On the same day, anti-government protests were held in the northern Israeli city of Haifa and near the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem. The day before, families of hostages and their supporters even occupied part of a highway in Tel Aviv during a protest.
Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7 last year, killing over 1,100 people and abducting about 250. The Israeli military currently estimates that around 132 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip. AFP reported that at least 27 of the hostages in Gaza are presumed to have been killed.
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