Thousands gather to protest for hostage deal as Netanyahu cabinet convenes

The rally, planned to start at 8 pm in Tel Aviv, will have freed hostages Sharon Cunio and Nili Margalit, alongside family members of the hostages, and IDF reservists as speakers.

Thousands of protesters supporting the families of Gaza hostages marched towards the Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, marking the beginning of the mass protests taking place during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

"The government must sign the deal that’s currently on the table. The entire nation demands an end to the war and the return of all hostages," said an official statement by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

The rally, which started at 8 pm in Tel Aviv, had several speakers, like former Gaza hostages Sharon Aloni Cunio and Nili Margalit, alongside family members of the hostages, and IDF reservists.

Cunio, one of the first speakers in the Hostage Square, said: "I won't give up on my David, or on his brother Ariel, or on any of the fifty hostages. And neither will you. Because we know - giving up on them is giving up on ourselves. I appeal again, almost at the end of my strength, to the decision-makers: return to the negotiating table, accept the deal, stop the war, and bring them all home."

"My father was kidnapped alive and murdered in captivity at the age of 79. My father and 41 other hostages murdered in Gaza reveal the terrible truth: every additional day of war puts the remaining hostages in danger," said Noam Peri, daughter of the late Chaim Peri.

Margalit also took the stage and said, "I will carry the guilt of not being able to save the people who were in captivity with me for the rest of my life, but we must succeed in saving all the hostages who are still there. We must end this nightmare now! We must end the war and bring back all 50 hostages!"

Day of protests for a hostage deal in Israel

Protesters blocked the southern Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv and other intersections on Tuesday morning, as hostage families urged Israelis to take to the streets and demand the government stop the war in Gaza and take steps to reach a deal to free the remaining 50 hostages.

One person was arrested in Tel Aviv, and a smoke grenade was found in her possession.

The Israel Police stated that all roads across Israel were open to traffic, following reports that protesters were blocking Highway 443 and Highway 1, which had also been closed due to protests.

Video footage of the protests showed demonstrators holding up signs that said, "We'll stop when everyone returns," as well as bonfires being lit in the street.