In the wake of the recent negotiations in Doha and ahead of the new round to be held in Cairo, thousands of protesters took to the streets of major Israeli cities yesterday Saturday demanding an agreement to return the hostages from the Gaza Strip.

The mother of one of the Hamas hostages called on the leadership of the Israeli security services not to allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sabotage the deal, as reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Qatar, Egypt and the US – which have a mediating role in the indirect negotiations – hope that a deal will lead to a ceasefire and the release of hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip.

“Even if this isn’t the ideal deal, it’s the only one out there,” the father of one hostage pointed out.

The largest demonstrations took place in Tel Aviv and Haifa, while demonstrations were also organized in other areas of the Israeli territory.

Many protesters accuse Netanyahu of sabotaging the deal by bowing to the demands of his far-right partners – on whom his political survival depends.

The protesters once again demanded the resignation of the government and the announcement of elections. In such a case, Netanyahu may not be able to return to the prime ministership of Israel and face prosecution on corruption charges.