Netanyahu rebukes anti-war protesters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned protesters who have been calling for an end to the war in Gaza at nationwide demonstrations on Sunday.

"Those calling today for an end to the war without the defeat of Hamas not only harden Hamas' position and draw out the release of our hostages, but also ensure that the horrors of October 7 will reoccur," Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting.

October 7 was the day in 2023 when Hamas-led militants carried out the deadly attacks in southern Israel that triggered Israel's ongoing Gaza offensive.

Protesters in Israel call for end to Gaza war and hostage deal

Demonstrators took to the streets across Israel on Sunday, with Tel Aviv a focus for protests calling for an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to release hostages still held by militants in the Palestinian enclave.

Protesters in Tel Aviv blocked several roads in the city, including the highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, while a huge Israeli flag covered with portraits of the remaining captives was unfurled in so-called Hostage Square.

Protest organizers and the main campaign group representing the families of hostages also called a general strike that caused many businesses to close.

Protesters say they fear further fighting could endanger the hostages still thought to be in Gaza.

Police employed water cannon and made more than two dozen arrests for "disruption of order" during the protests.

The demonstrations were condemned by some members of the Israeli goverment, with far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying public pressure to obtain a deal "buries the hostages in tunnels and seeks to push the State of Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardize its security and future."

The protests come after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to seize Gaza City as the Israeli military continues its more than 22-month offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The offensive was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 251 people were taken hostage in addition to the some 1,200 killed.

Forty-nine of the hostages remain in Gaza, 27 of whom are dead, according to the Israeli military.