Israeli protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday (March 15) to demand the government to negotiate a hostage deal and ceasefire with Hamas. Thousands of protesters gathered near the army and Defence Ministry headquarters chanting slogans and carrying banners. Simultaneously, relatives of the hostages and other protesters gathered at Hostage Square, also demanding the release of their family members. On Friday, Hamas said it had agreed to free an American-Israeli dual national if Israel begins the next phase of ceasefire talks towards a permanent end to the war, an offer Israel dismissed as “psychological warfare.” Hamas said it had made the offer to release New Jersey native Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier in the Israeli army, after receiving a proposal from mediators for negotiations on the second phase. Israel wants to extend the ceasefire’s temporary first phase, a proposal backed by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. Hamas says it will resume freeing hostages only under the second phase. The war began when Hamas carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the territory to rubble and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies.
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