01:18Mandatory credit: Danor Aharon
Dozens of protesters, including relatives of Hamas hostages, blocked traffic on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway on Monday to demand a deal on a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner swap with the Palestinian militant group.
Footage shows demonstrators beating drums and chanting while holding placards and banners in the busy roadway, where a large fire had been lit.
Earlier Hamas announced it would accept a proposed three-phase deal for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange.
However, Israel dismissed it as 'far from' meeting its own main demands and said that the agreement had been 'softened' from a version it had approved. Media reports also quoted an Israeli official as claiming the announcement was a 'ruse' to suggest the country was rejecting a deal.
On Monday night, the IDF said it had conducted strikes against Hamas locations and infrastructure in Rafah. Earlier the military stated that it was 'encouraging' people to move towards an 'expanded humanitarian zone', calling it a 'limited' operation affecting around 100,000 people in eastern Rafah - and which a Hamas official reportedly called a 'dangerous escalation'.
An estimated 1.4 million are reported to be sheltering in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed that a forthcoming large-scale military offensive in the city is needed to defeat Hamas, despite the US and other allies warning of huge civilian casualties.
During peace talks, Hamas has called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an end to fighting. On Sunday, Netanyahu said that 'surrendering' to such demands would 'leave Hamas intact' and be a 'terrible defeat' for Israel.
Fighting between Israel and Hamas has entered the seventh month in Gaza after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that more than 34,000 people had been killed at the time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.
Fire burns on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway as protesters block traffic, demand hostage deal
Dozens of protesters, including relatives of Hamas hostages, blocked traffic on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway on Monday to demand a deal on a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner swap with the Palestinian militant group.
Footage shows demonstrators beating drums and chanting while holding placards and banners in the busy roadway, where a large fire had been lit.
Earlier Hamas announced it would accept a proposed three-phase deal for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange.
However, Israel dismissed it as 'far from' meeting its own main demands and said that the agreement had been 'softened' from a version it had approved. Media reports also quoted an Israeli official as claiming the announcement was a 'ruse' to suggest the country was rejecting a deal.
On Monday night, the IDF said it had conducted strikes against Hamas locations and infrastructure in Rafah. Earlier the military stated that it was 'encouraging' people to move towards an 'expanded humanitarian zone', calling it a 'limited' operation affecting around 100,000 people in eastern Rafah - and which a Hamas official reportedly called a 'dangerous escalation'.
An estimated 1.4 million are reported to be sheltering in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed that a forthcoming large-scale military offensive in the city is needed to defeat Hamas, despite the US and other allies warning of huge civilian casualties.
During peace talks, Hamas has called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an end to fighting. On Sunday, Netanyahu said that 'surrendering' to such demands would 'leave Hamas intact' and be a 'terrible defeat' for Israel.
Fighting between Israel and Hamas has entered the seventh month in Gaza after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that more than 34,000 people had been killed at the time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.
Mandatory credit: Danor Aharon
Dozens of protesters, including relatives of Hamas hostages, blocked traffic on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway on Monday to demand a deal on a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner swap with the Palestinian militant group.
Footage shows demonstrators beating drums and chanting while holding placards and banners in the busy roadway, where a large fire had been lit.
Earlier Hamas announced it would accept a proposed three-phase deal for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange.
However, Israel dismissed it as 'far from' meeting its own main demands and said that the agreement had been 'softened' from a version it had approved. Media reports also quoted an Israeli official as claiming the announcement was a 'ruse' to suggest the country was rejecting a deal.
On Monday night, the IDF said it had conducted strikes against Hamas locations and infrastructure in Rafah. Earlier the military stated that it was 'encouraging' people to move towards an 'expanded humanitarian zone', calling it a 'limited' operation affecting around 100,000 people in eastern Rafah - and which a Hamas official reportedly called a 'dangerous escalation'.
An estimated 1.4 million are reported to be sheltering in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed that a forthcoming large-scale military offensive in the city is needed to defeat Hamas, despite the US and other allies warning of huge civilian casualties.
During peace talks, Hamas has called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an end to fighting. On Sunday, Netanyahu said that 'surrendering' to such demands would 'leave Hamas intact' and be a 'terrible defeat' for Israel.
Fighting between Israel and Hamas has entered the seventh month in Gaza after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that more than 34,000 people had been killed at the time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.