Sat Mar 29 21:01:18 UTC 2025: ## Mass Protests Erupt in Israel Demanding Release of Gaza Captives
**TEL AVIV, ISRAEL –** Large-scale protests rocked Israel on Saturday, with demonstrators demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secure the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7th attack. Tensions flared between protesters and police in Tel Aviv as families of the approximately 58 captives, 34 of whom the Israeli military believes to be dead, rallied, holding aloft photographs of their loved ones and blaming the government for their plight.
The protests follow the release of a second video by Hamas’s Qassam Brigades, purportedly showing Israeli captive Elkana Bohbot pleading for his freedom. The video, titled “Time is Running Out,” shows Bohbot, captured during the October attack on a southern Israeli music festival, appealing directly to the Israeli government for his release.
Demonstrators vehemently condemned the government’s decision to launch a military campaign in Gaza, insisting that the government prioritize negotiating a prisoner exchange with Hamas to secure the release of all captives. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a campaign group supporting the families, led the charge, highlighting the urgency of the situation and the emotional toll on families. The escalating situation underscores the immense pressure facing Netanyahu’s government as it grapples with the humanitarian crisis and the demands of grieving families.
First Piper 