Qatar and Egypt have been trying to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza
A group of Israelis protested in Knesset on Wednesday, demanding the government do more to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, daubing paint on the partition between the visitors gallery and the plenary chamber.
“Now! Now!” they chanted at lawmakers below, streaks of yellow — their campaign color — on the glass as ushers ushered them out.
The protests followed three days of anti-government demonstrations in Jerusalem, with thousands taking to the streets calling for more action to free the hostages and new elections to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .
Hamas detained 253 people in a cross-border rampage on Oct. 7 that sparked the war in Gaza, 134 of whom remain imprisoned in the Palestinian enclave, cut off from the outside world.
Israeli officials declared the last 35 of them dead in absentia, and as the conflict continues, friends and relatives worry about the fate of the rest.
Qatar and Egypt have been trying to broker a ceasefire in Gaza to secure the release of at least some of the hostages. But Hamas demands any deal end the war, while Israel insists it will resume its offensive to destroy Palestinian Islamist groups.
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