Israelis have blocked a major motorway running between Tel Aviv and Haifa, report media in the country. The demonstrators are demanding a prisoner exchange deal – and a new election.
The demonstrators, who are calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to secure a deal that brings home prisoners and then steps down, have also blocked parts of another major motorway.
Only a new election can put out this fire, shout the demonstrators, according to state-owned Kan.
By evening, large demonstrations are planned outside Netanyahu's residences in Jerusalem and Qesarya, writes Israeli Haaretz. The demonstrators have also called on people to go on strike in protest against the government.
Protests against the government's inability – or unwillingness – to reach an agreement to bring home prisoners have been ongoing for months in several parts of Israel. The largest demonstrations have been in Tel Aviv. More than 100 Israeli prisoners are still being held by Hamas and other extremist groups in Gaza, but it is unclear how many are still alive.
