Israel: Locals hold demonstration in Tel Aviv, urge govt for prisoner exchange with Hamas

The locals held a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Thursday (local time) and urged the Israeli government to exchange hostages/prisoners with terrorist group Hamas. The demonstrators have called on the Israeli government to talk to Hamas and ensure that the women and children who are held captive are released. They used placards and raised slogans to raise the demands. “The government of Israel should talk to Hamas to ensure that the women, children and civilians who have been taken hostage should be released,” a local protesting in Tel Aviv amid Hamas attack on Israel told ANI. Meanwhile, another protesting local said that the government should pull out all stops to make sure the kidnapped hostages are released. “We are calling the government to do everything they can in order to release the prisoners, the kidnapped hostages. To do everything they can to exchange prisoners…,” says Dafna, a local protesting in Tel Aviv said. The death toll in Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7 has jumped to 1,300 and some 3300 have been injured, including 28 in critical condition and 350 in serious condition, The Times of Israel reported citing Hebrew media reports. The fate of an estimated 150 people abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip during the attack by Hamas is still unclear, the report said. Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the military has so far notified families of 97 hostages who were being held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported.