Protests in Tel Aviv as Israel says Gaza attacks will continue

Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip will continue in the coming days, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said, as protests broke out in Tel Aviv against a continuation of the war.

"This is not a one-day operation," Saar told a meeting of an Israeli-American lobby organization, his office said. The decision to restart major attacks on Tuesday after a two-month ceasefire had been made a few days ago, he added.

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas had rejected two proposals by US envoy Steve Witkoff for an extension of a ceasefire and the situation could not continue, Saar said.

But people demonstrated in Tel Aviv against a resumption of the war because they fear for the lives of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on southern Israel.

Renewed attacks mean a "death sentence for the hostages," read a banner held up by demonstrators. "Why are they still in Gaza?" protesters also chanted.

According to the Israelis, 24 living hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, as well as the bodies of 35 others.

The protests in Tel Aviv were also directed against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's dismissal of the head of the domestic intelligence service on Sunday due to a "lack of trust."