Families of Israeli prisoners in Gaza demonstrated on Tuesday in front of the Israeli Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv (center), demanding a prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.

Dozens of Israelis participated in the demonstration.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said that the demonstration was organized in conjunction with a meeting of the Israeli Security and Political Affairs Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement and the situation in the West Bank.

She explained that the meeting was held at the "Kirya" military base, which includes the ministry's headquarters in the region.

The newspaper pointed out that the demonstrators closed one of the entrances to the base using a large banner bearing the names of the 100 Israeli prisoners in Gaza.

In recent weeks, the families of the Israeli prisoners have stepped up their activities demanding a prisoner exchange agreement and a ceasefire in Gaza.

The opposition and the families of Israeli prisoners accuse Netanyahu of obstructing an agreement to preserve his position, as extremist ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, threaten to leave the government and bring it down if it accepts an end to the genocide in Gaza.

On Friday, the Israeli delegation returned to Doha to resume indirect negotiations with Hamas, mediated by Qatar and Egypt.

The prisoner exchange negotiations, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, have stumbled more than once due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on maintaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt, and the Rafah crossing in Gaza, and preventing the return of Palestinian faction fighters to northern Gaza by searching returnees through the Netzarim corridor in the middle of the Strip.

For its part, Hamas insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a complete cessation of war, in order to accept any agreement.