Anti-government protesters marched on Sunday across Israel’s major cities, aiming to pressure the authorities to reach a hostage deal with Hamas, with demonstrators blocking roads and protesting in front of government officials’ homes.

The protesters marched to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, calling for both immediate elections and a deal to facilitate the release of the 120 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

Simultaneously, thousands assembled in Tel Aviv, where Einav Zangauker, whose son is held hostage in Gaza, staged a protest by isolating herself in a cage from a bridge over Begin Road. Addressing the crowd, Zangauker described the region as being held hostage by Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in Gaza.

At Kibbutz Or Haner, located near the border with Gaza, demonstrators hung a black balloon to commemorate each person killed in the attack and yellow balloon for every hostage still held in Gaza.

The demonstrations came soon after Prime Minister Netanyahu set forth a list of demands he described as non-negotiable ahead of the resumption of hostage negotiations in Cairo and Doha. The demands included provisions ensuring Israel’s ability to resume military operations if necessary, a stance that has drawn criticism from both within Israel and among international mediators, with critics noting that Netanyahu risks undermining the efforts towards achieving a ceasefire and securing the release of hostages.

At the same time, Hamas has reportedly given initial approval to a phased ceasefire proposal for Gaza backed by the U.S., dropping its demand for Israel to commit immediately to ending the conflict.