Thousands in Tel Aviv urge PM not to fly to US before finalizing hostage deal; several families to travel with him

At tonight’s demonstrations in Tel Aviv urging a hostage-ceasefire deal and opposing the Netanyahu government, thousands of people are calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to make his planned trip to the United States this week before announcing the finalization of a deal.

Channel 12 reports, by contrast, that several relatives of hostages are planning to travel with the prime minister to the US.

Among those flying are Noa Argamani, who was rescued from Gaza in an IDF operation last month, and her father Yaakov; Ditza Or, whose son Avinatan is a hostage; Bat-Sheva Yahalomi, whose husband Ohad is held, and relatives of the Bibas family including Yarden Bibas’s father.

It says that some relatives who were planning to fly with the prime minister have changed their minds because no deal has yet been announced, but does not elaborate.