This footage was filmed and produced 30 March 2024.

Thousands of Israelis staged a protest on Saturday evening in Tel Aviv, capital of the country, urging the Israeli government to hammer out a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to facilitate an earlier release of detained personnel.

Many protesters blocked major roads which resulted in traffic congestion in the capital, and asked the Israeli government to seek an immediate ceasefire. Some protesters even set fire on the road, while others had physical confrontations with police officers who used water cannons to disperse the protesting crowd.

The Israeli police department said later in the day that more than 10 demonstrators who caused the chaos were arrested.

Many protesters on the site expressed their hope that a ceasefire can be reached soon in Gaza for the early release of Israeli hostages.

"We want every hostage to be back home alive now. If it means that you have to do ceasefire, we do it," said Rani, a protester.

"We have a common interest of living side by side. We're not going to disappear. They're not going to disappear. The peace will take years. We can live together with the Palestinians. There is no reason not to," said Aviad, another protester.

Some protesters said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not gone far enough in seeking a ceasefire, ending the war and pushing for release of the hostages. They demanded the resignation of Netanyahu and holding of new elections.

"At the beginning, it failed to protect the civilian. And then, it failed to solve the problem either in Gaza, in the north, in the south, just a big failure. They are asking basically to bring the election, change the government, bring the kidnapped people back home," said Oren, a protester.

Gaza has been under massive Israeli siege and bombardment since Oct 7 of lat year, which had so far killed 32,705 Palestinians, according to the statistics updated by the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Saturday.

The Israeli siege and bombardment came in retaliation for an attack by Hamas that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took away more than 200 others as hostages into Gaza.

Tel Aviv, Israel - March 30, 2024
1. Protesters;
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rani, protester (full name not given) (ending with shot 3):
"We want every hostage to be back home alive now. If it means that you have to do ceasefire, we do it.";
3. Protesters;
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Aviad, protester (full name not given) (ending with shot 5):
"We have a common interest of living side by side, we're not going to disappear. They're not going to disappear. The peace will take years. We can live together with the Palestinians. There is no reason not to.";
5. Various of protesters;
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Oren, protester (full name not given) (partially overlaid with shot 7):
"At the beginning, it failed to protect the civilian. And then, it failed to solve the problem either in Gaza, in the north, in the south, just a big failure. They are asking basically to bring the election, change the government, bring the kidnapped people back home.";
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
7. Protesters;
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
8. Protesters.

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