Israelis rally to demand Gaza ceasefire and PM Netanyahu's resignation

Israelis protested on Saturday night, calling for a ceasefire and the resignation of hardline Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Tens of thousands took to the streets in Tel Aviv to demand that the government reach a deal with Hamas to secure the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.

They also called for new elections, accusing Netanyahu of prolonging the conflict to keep himself in power.

Netanyahu's government - seen as the most right-wight in Israel's history - insists it will not stop the war until the Palestinian militant group has been "annihilated".

"We hope the world hears us and knows that the people of Israel are not the government of Israel," said one protester Shulamit Ron. "We don't agree with the policy, we don't agree with the way they behave, and we want to have a different future."

The protest comes as a Hamas delegation met mediators in Egypt on Saturday.

Egyptian state media reported “noticeable progress" on talks, although an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza.

The main source of contention appears to be whether the ceasefire would be permanent or temporary.

Hamas has repeatedly insisted that any deal freeing the hostages must include a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and an end to the fighting.

Pressure has mounted on Netanyahu's war cabinet to reach a deal halting the nearly seven-month-long war.

"The most important thing is to bring the hostages back and to get humanitarian aid into Gaza," said Roi Tzohar, demonstrating in Tel Aviv.

"The Israeli people are hostages to the right-wing government and the people of Gaza are hostages of Hamas."

Egyptian and US mediators have reported signs of compromise in recent days. But chances for a ceasefire deal remain entangled with the key question of whether Israel will accept an end to the war without reaching its stated goal of destroying Hamas.

Some observers have questioned whether Israel's government can achieve this goal in the first place.

Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera News TV channel said Saturday a consensus had been reached over many disputed points, but did not elaborate.

A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, played down the prospects for a ceasefire.

"Under no circumstances agree to end the war as part of an agreement to free our abductees," they told local media.

The official said Israel was committed to the Rafah invasion, where an estimated 1.4 million people have fled the fighting in central and northern Gaza.

Fears have been expressed that Israel may try to push the Palestinian population in Rafah across the Egyptian border - something Israeli officials deny.

The war has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s local health officials.

Widespread destruction has plunged the territory into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

The conflict erupted on 7 October, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, abducting about 250 people and killing around 1,200, mostly civilians.

Israel says Palestinian militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.