Protesters gather in Tel Aviv to call for new elections and release of hostages

Demonstrators are congregating at Democracy Square in Tel Aviv to protest against the government and call for early elections and the release of hostages held by Hamas, as reports suggest a truce deal may be looming.

The protest is being organized by Change Generation, a movement founded after the October 7 attack, to demand the release of hostages and a change in Israel’s leadership.

Police have closed off parts of Begin Street and Kaplan Street to contain the demonstration, as well as the nearby exits to the Ayalon Freeway to prevent protesters from blocking traffic, as they often do.

Tonight’s speakers include Bar and Uri Hefetz, a father and daughter from Nirim near the Gaza Strip who have been displaced from their homes since October 7; Yonatan Shamriz, whose brother Alon was accidentally killed by Israeli forces last year; and Dr. Rivka Nerya Ben Shahar, a lecturer at Sapir College whose brother was severely injured while fighting in Gaza.