Clashes broke out in Tel Aviv between police and protesters calling for the resignation of the Israeli government, leading to the arrest of some anti-government protesters.
Thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand that the Israeli government reach an agreement on the release of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
They also called for new elections and the selection of a prime minister. Benjamin Netanyahu Resign.
Netanyahu said Saturday that a permanent ceasefire in Gaza was “unfeasible” until long-standing Israeli conditions for ending the war were met.
The statement is seen as weakening an Israeli proposal that U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Friday.
Biden called the three-phase proposal a “true defining moment.”
He said the first phase of the proposed agreement would last six weeks and include a “full and complete ceasefire,” the withdrawal of Israeli troops from all populated areas of the Gaza Strip and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of many hostages, including women, elderly and wounded.
The second phase would see the release of all remaining hostages, including male soldiers, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
And the third phase calls for beginning the massive reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which will take decades to recover from the devastation caused by war.
Hamas issued a statement responding positively to the agreement, saying it was ready to engage “in a constructive manner” with any proposals based on a permanent end to the fighting.
While Biden acknowledged it would be difficult to move forward with the proposal as scheduled, Netanyahu's comments on Saturday suggested the deal could falter without a deal being reached.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States, in a joint statement, called on Hamas and Israel to conclude an agreement that embodies the principles President Biden outlined on Friday.
Meanwhile, smoke was seen rising from the Rafah area in southern Gaza on Saturday as Israeli forces continued their offensive in besieged areas.
The city, near the border with Egypt, was home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were forced to flee again after Israel launched a new operation in early May.
The World Health Organization said Saturday that almost no health services remain in Gaza's southernmost city.
The United Nations estimates that around 900,000 people have fled Rafah and sought refuge in safer areas of Gaza.
