Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated, on Saturday, in the cities of Haifa and Rehovot, against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding “to hold early elections now” and to return prisoners detained in the Gaza Strip, according to Hebrew media.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that hundreds of Israelis participated in the demonstration against the government at the Horev Junction in Haifa, demanding early elections.

The demonstrators also demanded the release of prisoners detained in the Gaza Strip, according to the same newspaper.

Participants carried banners reading: “Elections now” and “Save the prisoners.”

In the city of Rehovot, dozens demonstrated in front of the Weizmann Institute of Science and chanted against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

It is expected that the pace of demonstrations against the government and others demanding the release of prisoners detained in the Gaza Strip will increase on Saturday evening, especially in the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Israelis demonstrate almost daily to demand early elections and the release of prisoners in Gaza, but the main demonstrations are organized on Saturday.

Israeli officials estimate that there are about “136 hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip” since Hamas launched an attack on Israeli military points and settlements around the Strip on October 7.

On October 7, the Palestinian resistance factions, led by Hamas, captured at least about 239 people in towns and cities surrounding Gaza, and exchanged dozens of them with Israel during a temporary humanitarian truce that lasted 7 days and ended in early December.

On the other hand, Palestinian prisoners’ institutions reported that, under the truce, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons, including 71 female prisoners and 169 children.