Thousands of Israelis demonstrated today, Saturday, in about 70 locations to demand the release of detainees in the Gaza Strip and the holding of early elections, while the Israeli opposition accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to thwart a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

Al Jazeera's correspondent said that thousands of Israelis are demonstrating in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv to demand an immediate exchange deal and the overthrow of Netanyahu's government.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that hundreds of Israelis demonstrated near the Science Park in Rehovot, demanding the release of prisoners detained in the Gaza Strip and the holding of early elections.

Israeli Channel 12 quoted the detainees' families as saying that it is clear that they will not get their children back except through a deal.

Tel Aviv estimates that there are 133 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, while Hamas announced that 70 of them were killed in random raids launched by Israel, which holds at least 9,500 Palestinians in its prisons.

Opposition accusations

Politically, the Israeli opposition accused Netanyahu of trying to thwart the prisoner exchange deal with Hamas after a statement by a “political source” confirming Tel Aviv’s insistence on entering Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, with or without a deal.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said, "Netanyahu, instead of ridiculous messages, should send a negotiating delegation to Cairo today."

Earlier Saturday, Hebrew channels and newspapers circulated a statement by an unnamed Israeli political source in which he said, “Tel Aviv will not agree to end the war within any deal with Hamas.”

The source added that the Israeli army will enter Rafah whether there is a truce to release the kidnappers or not.

A number of opposition representatives in the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) considered in their blog posts on the “X” platform that this statement came out of Netanyahu’s office, at a critical time, and in a rare manner during the Sabbath holiday, during which he usually does not issue any official statements or statements, and that “In an attempt to thwart the negotiations before the mediators receive Hamas’ response, which is expected to be positive.”

“He (Netanyahu) is doing everything to prevent an agreement, including giving a briefing on Saturday,” said MP Karen Al-Harar, from the “There is a Future” party led by Yair Lapid.

She added that Netanyahu's main consideration is not to anger the extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and to satisfy the electoral base, and he does not have an iota of leadership obligating him to try to correct even a little, and to do everything in his power to return the kidnapped people.

In a related context, Efrat Reiten, a representative of the Labor Party, said, “Issuing a statement about entering Rafah under any circumstances, with or without a deal, at such a critical time, when all parties agree, and it is possible to bring out the kidnapped people alive, means that Failing the deal and abandoning it is one of the goals of the war that was identified - the return of the kidnapped people.”

Netanyahu is facing increasing pressure not to accept a deal that would lead to ending the war in Gaza and canceling the military operation in Rafah. Smotrich and Ben Gvir previously threatened to dissolve the government if this happened.

Earlier Saturday, the private Cairo News channel quoted an unnamed high-ranking source as saying that a Hamas delegation had arrived in Cairo, indicating “notable progress” in the truce negotiations in Gaza.

With the mediation of Egypt and Qatar and the participation of the United States, Hamas and Israel have been conducting faltering indirect negotiations for months to reach an agreement to exchange prisoners and cease fire.