32 detained during nationwide protests for hostages’ release, police say

Police announce that they have detained 32 protesters across the country amid demonstrations demanding the release of Israeli hostages and an end to the war in Gaza.

The protests, many of which have blocked major highways, are part of a nationwide strike organized by the families of hostages and victims of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre.

The bulk of detained demonstrators had been protesting on Begin Road and Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv. Seven others were arrested in Jerusalem for blocking roads during a march throughout the city.

The three hour-long march in the capital has since ended, after the demonstrators were stopped on their way to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence on Azza Street. Police closed a section of the street to both cars and pedestrians in light of the mass protests.