JERUSALEM

Families of Israeli captives in Gaza blocked a main highway in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of blocking a prisoner swap deal with Palestinians, according to Israeli media.

“We want a deal now,” reads a banner raised by protesters as they blocked the Ayalon highway in central Tel Aviv, Israeli Channel 12 reported.

The broadcaster quoted some of the protesters as accusing Netanyahu of obstructing a deal with Palestinians to bring back the captives.

The head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, David Barnea, said during a recent meeting with families of hostages that the chances to reach a prisoner swap deal with Hamas were diminishing, Israeli media said on Monday.

On Saturday, Hamas called recent Gaza cease-fire proposals a “smokescreen" as they do not include an end to the Israeli war or withdrawal from the enclave.

Israel estimates that around 101 captives are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, some of whom are believed to have been already killed by indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes across the densely populated enclave.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar have so far failed to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza, but Washington maintains that Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Oct. 18 may lead to a breakthrough in talks.

Hamas, however, says the conflict will only end when Israel stops its military campaign in the blockaded enclave, which has killed nearly 43,400 people since October 2023.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar