Israelis block highway in Tel Aviv to demand prisoner swap deal with Hamas

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli protesters blocked a main highway in Tel Aviv on Thursday to demand a prisoner swap deal with Palestinian group Hamas.

Relatives of Israelis held captive in Gaza were among the protesters, who blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv on the 300th day of Israel’s ongoing war on the enclave.

The protest came one day after Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in an airstrike in the Iranian capital, Tehran, early Wednesday.

While Hamas and Iran blamed Israel for the assassination, Tel Aviv has not yet confirmed or denied its responsibility.

On Wednesday, the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza called for a series of protests in Tel Aviv to pressure the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a swap deal with Hamas.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt have failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire that allows a prisoner swap between Israelis and Palestinians.

So far, efforts by the three countries to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas have been hampered by Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas' call to halt hostilities.

The Israeli authorities estimate that around 115 Israelis are held by Hamas in Gaza.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

At least 39,445 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar