Thousands of Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Their request is related to hostages who are still being held by the Hamas group.<br /><br />The demonstrators asked Netanyahu to do more to free the hostages. A number of people also blocked Tel Aviv's main road in the action on Saturday (12/5/2024) local time.<br /><br />The police tried to disperse the crowd with water cannons. Reuters noted that three people were arrested during the demonstration, as quoted on Sunday, May 12, 2024.<br /><br />Among the thousands of protesters, family members of the hostages also took to the streets of Tel Aviv. They carried photos of family members who were prisoners of Hamas.<br /><br />One of those who took part was Naama Weinberg. He has a cousin named Itai Svirsky, who was kidnapped in a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.<br /><br />During the demonstration, Weinberg also gave a speech.<br />"He urged that the hostages be rescued immediately." Weinberg also referred to a Hamas video that said another Israeli hostage had also died.<br /><br />"Soon, those who can survive will no longer live," he said, as quoted by Reuters on Sunday, May 12, 2024. "They must be rescued now," he said.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, insisted on continuing the war in Gaza until Hamas was destroyed.<br /><br />In his speech on Sunday (5/5), Netanyahu felt that ending the current war would only provide room for Hamas to come to power. Netanyahu firmly rejects such a situation.<br /><br />Netanyahu said Israel was willing to stop fighting in Gaza to guarantee the release of hostages still being held by Hamas, believed to number more than 130 people.<br /><br />The negotiation process in Cairo has not yet shown significant progress. Hamas leaders have maintained their demand that any agreement end the war in Gaza.
