Hundreds of Israelis block highway in central Tel Aviv

JERUSALEM

Hundreds of protesters blocked the Ayalon highway, a major thoroughfare in central Tel Aviv, on Saturday during demonstrations demanding a deal with Hamas to exchange prisoners and hold early elections, reported the Israeli broadcasting authority.

Protesters lit fires and held signs demanding an immediate deal, the dismissal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and early elections, according to state media.

Meanwhile, police prevented a demonstration outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in the Kirya area of central Tel Aviv, labeling it as “illegal,” according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

Police arrested several protesters who refused to comply with orders not to demonstrate in front of the building, and others were arrested on charges of rioting for participating in the closure of the Ayalon highway, it said.

Other areas in Israel also witnessed anti-government protests, with demands for a prisoner exchange deal, including Jerusalem, Rehovot, Ra'anana and Haifa, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

Israeli demonstrators have been protesting almost daily to pressure the government to negotiate a prisoner exchange deal and hold early elections.

Qatar and Egypt, with the assistance of the United States, are mediating between Israel and Hamas to reach a new cease-fire agreement in Gaza and exchange prisoners.​​​​​​​

Israel estimates that there are more than 125 hostages in Gaza, while it holds at least 8,800 Palestinians in its prisons, according to official sources from both sides.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 people were killed.

Nearly 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 72,500 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala​​​​​​​