Thousands gather in Tel Aviv to protest government and demand hostage release

• Published date: 21 April 2024
• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The protests took place in various locations in the city. Groups gathered outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art at Hostages Square and blocked several streets, including the Kaplan interchange and Begin Road

As protestors marched through the city, police blocked the roads leading to the Ayalon highway to prevent demonstrators from blocking it.

During the protest, demonstrators screened a movie titled "One Request," which demanded that government leaders take action to return those held in Hamas captivity for almost 200 days. Protesters also called for immediate elections in the country.

The parents of US-Israeli citizen Itay Chen, an IDF soldier who was killed on October 7 and whose body is being held by Hamas, called for the government to approve a hostage deal immediately. Reflecting on the loss of their son, they said, "The country did not defend you or save you. It forsakes you every day."

The families of the hostages write a letter

Additionally, the families of the hostages sent a letter to the members of the security cabinet where they wrote, "We demand to hear directly from you...