JERUSALEM: Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated, demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secure a deal with Hamas to end the Gaza war and release the remaining hostages.
The day of strikes and nationwide protests came on Sunday amid mounting public anger over government plans to launch a new offensive in the devastated Palestinian territory.
Critics fear the operation, aimed at seizing Gaza City and central Gaza, could endanger the 49 hostages still held there, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which organised the demonstrations, said that hundreds of thousands participated in rallies at more than 300 locations across the country.
In Tel Aviv, streets were cleared as many businesses, including local branches of Microsoft, Meta, and Fiverr, shuttered in solidarity with the protest.
Demonstrators blocked highways, including the main road to Jerusalem, set tyres on fire, and disrupted transportation.
Protesters carried Israeli flags alongside yellow banners symbolising the hostage struggle, chanting slogans and banging drums.
"The conquest of Gaza = death sentence for the hostages, " read one placard.