Protesters demanding an end to the Gaza war and the return of hostages to their homes took to the streets in Israel on Tuesday ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for the evening.

Demonstrators blocked roads in commercial hub Tel Aviv, where they waved Israeli flags and held up pictures of the hostages, AFP journalists reported.

Israeli media said others rallied near the US embassy branch in the city, as well as outside the houses of various ministers.

“Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu prioritises the destruction of Hamas over releasing the hostages,” said Ruby Chen, whose son was abducted by militants in October 2023.

“He believes it is OK and it is a valid alternative to sacrifice 50 hostages for political needs,” he said in a speech to one of Tuesday’s demonstrations.

Protests were expected to swell in Tel Aviv later in the day.

The agenda of the security cabinet meeting has not been officially confirmed, but Israeli media reported that it could be to discuss ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The cabinet approved a plan in early August for the military to take over Gaza City, triggering fresh fears for the safety of the hostages and a new wave of protests that has seen tens of thousands take to the streets.

Netanyahu last week ordered immediate talks aimed at securing the release of all remaining captives in Gaza, while also doubling down on the plans for a new offensive to seize Gaza’s largest city.

That came days after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators that would see the staggered release of hostages over an initial 60-day period in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

In Doha, Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a regular news conference that mediators were still “waiting for an answer” from Israel to the latest proposal.

“The responsibility now lies on the Israeli side to respond to an offer that is on the table. Anything else is political posturing by the Israeli side.”

 Journalists killed

Israel has been under mounting pressure both at home and abroad to wrap up its campaign in Gaza, where the war has created a humanitarian crisis and devastated much of the territory.

On Monday, Israeli strikes hit a Gaza hospital, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists working for Al Jazeera, the Associated Press and Reuters, among other outlets.

Governments around the world, including staunch Israeli allies, expressed shock at the attack.

Netanyahu later expressed regret over what he called a “tragic mishap”, and the Israeli military ordered an inquiry.

The war in Gaza has been one of the deadliest for journalists, with around 200 media workers killed in the Israeli assault now in its 23rd month, according to press watchdogs.

The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Out of 251 hostages seized during the attack, 49 are still held in Gaza including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 62,819 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

AFP