Mideast In Pictures: Israelis stage protest to demand Gaza ceasefire, hostage release

JERUSALEM, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israelis took to the streets on Saturday in Tel Aviv, with protesters calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and urging the Israeli government to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The protests came amid indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Doha, Qatar, which resumed last week. The negotiations aim to reach a ceasefire in the 15-month war between the two sides and secure the release of approximately 100 hostages still held by Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.