JERUSALEM/ANKARA

Families of Israeli captives held in Gaza blocked a major highway in Tel Aviv on Sunday, demanding the government immediately strike a swap deal with Palestinians to secure their release.

According to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily, demonstrators shut down the Ayalon Highway, one of the city’s main arteries, until Israeli police arrived and forcibly dispersed them.

Mass protests have gained momentum since Saturday in Tel Aviv and other cities to pile pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach an exchange deal after new footage emerged showing Israeli captives in Gaza suffering from extreme malnutrition.

On Friday, Qassam Brigades, the military wing on Hamas, released a video of Israeli prisoner Evyatar David appearing severely emaciated.

A day earlier, the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad released what it said was the last video of captive Rom Braslavski before losing contact with his captors. He too appeared gaunt and in critical condition due to hunger.

‘A mad government’

Opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized Netanyahu’s government for ignoring the worsening plight of the captives and their families.

“Even after these videos, the government’s agenda hasn’t changed,” Lapid said on X. “There will be another cabinet meeting today to discuss the security of Netanyahu and his family, not the hostages or their families.”

“This is a mad government, morally bankrupt and utterly indifferent,” he added.

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Of the 250 captives taken on Oct. 7, Israel believes around 50 captives remain in Gaza, including 20 thought to be alive.

Meanwhile, over 10,800 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, many of whom face torture, medical neglect, and inhumane conditions, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.

Israel recently pulled out of indirect negotiations with Hamas in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Egypt with US backing, over disagreements on ceasefire terms, prisoner exchanges, and the delivery of aid.

Hamas has repeatedly said it is ready to release all Israeli captives in exchange for an end to the war, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu, however, has rejected these terms and is demanding the disarmament of Palestinian factions and full Israeli military control of Gaza.