Protests Erupt in Occupied Territories As Israel Stalls Truce Deal

Protests erupted in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and other cities across the occupied Palestinian territories, with demonstrators accusing Netanyahu of obstructing a truce agreement by imposing new conditions.

In a press conference outside the Israeli ministry of military affairs in Tel Aviv, protesters warned that a deal must be reached within a week, threatening to escalate their demonstrations if the impasse continues.

"This is probably the last chance to make a deal,” said a protester in Haifa.

Gaza's resistance groups took around 240 captives during a retaliatory operation against the occupied territories on October 7. The Israeli regime responded with a genocidal military campaign that has resulted in over 40,000 Palestinian deaths, primarily women and children.

Hamas, the Gaza-based resistance movement, stated that many captives have been killed in the intense Israeli bombardment of the coastal enclave.

A week-long truce deal last November saw Hamas release 105 captives in exchange for 240 Palestinians detained in Israeli jails. The regime believes over 100 captives remain in Gaza, with around 50 presumed to be alive.

Hamas has repeatedly offered to release the remaining captives in exchange for a complete cessation of Israeli aggression, full withdrawal of Israeli forces, lifting of the siege on Gaza, and initiation of reconstruction efforts. However, Netanyahu has vowed to continue the military campaign until what he calls the "elimination" of Hamas, a goal deemed unachievable by the group, some Israeli officials, and even Tel Aviv's allies.

Meanwhile, protesters in Tel Aviv cautioned that the ongoing war and Israel's relentless strikes on Lebanon, along with other acts of aggression in the region, could "ignite the entire region."