Hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv for a third consecutive night Tuesday, demanding the Israeli government reach a ceasefire deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.
The demonstrations intensified after the Israeli military reported that six hostages were killed by their captors in Gaza as troops approached their location. Many protesters blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the increasing number of hostage deaths and are calling for immediate action to secure their release.
In diplomatic efforts, the United States is collaborating with Egyptian and Qatari counterparts on a new ceasefire and hostage deal proposal. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to convene Wednesday to discuss the ongoing conflict.
The Israeli military announced Tuesday it had killed Ahmed Fozi Wadia, a Hamas commander from a commando battalion. Wadia was identified in a widely circulated video from the October 7 attack, showing him drinking cola near two children wounded in a grenade attack that killed their father. The military stated that an airstrike on Saturday targeted a Hamas compound in Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of eight militants, including Wadia.
The Israel-Hamas conflict, now in its 11th month, began with a Hamas-led attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage. The subsequent war in Gaza has resulted in over 40,000 deaths, according to Gaza health officials.
