TEL AVIV: Thousands of people demonstrated in central Tel Aviv on Saturday, calling for the return of hostages held in Gaza and early elections to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Demonstrators marched through the city鈥檚 Habima Square, a frequent protest site, with some carrying signs calling Netanyahu 鈥渢he face of evil鈥� and demanding 鈥渆lections now.鈥�
Protesters demanding the return of hostages also gathered in Haifa and outside the premier鈥檚 Jerusalem residence.
Netanyahu is under intense pressure to secure the return of the hostages seized by Hamas on October 7, with the militant group on Monday announcing the deaths of two more of its captives.
Avi Lulu Shamriz, the father of Alon Shamriz, a hostage mistakenly killed by Israeli troops earlier in the war, told AFP in Tel Aviv Netanyahu鈥檚 war cabinet was heading for disaster.
鈥淭he way we鈥檙e going, all the hostages are going to die. It鈥檚 not too late to free them,鈥� he said.
In a briefing on Saturday evening, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops had found a tunnel in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip where some hostages had been kept.
鈥淲e found evidence indicating the presence of hostages,鈥� he said. This evidence included paintings, including by a five-year-old captive.
He said 鈥渁bout 20 hostages鈥� had been held in the tunnel at different times 鈥渋n difficult conditions without daylight... with little oxygen and terrible humidity.鈥�
Soldiers entered the tunnel where they encountered militants and fought a battle in which 鈥渢he terrorists were eliminated,鈥� Hagari said.
Netanyahu鈥檚 coalition has increasingly come under attack from rival politicians and critics over his handling of the war.
Another protester, Yael Niv, said Israel desperately needed a new government to correct the country鈥檚 course.

The 50-year-old said 鈥渢he messianic elements in our government鈥� were a major danger to Israel, as she handed out stickers urging the return of the hostages.
鈥淓liminating Hamas is not going to happen through war and the escalation of violence,鈥� she added.
Demonstrator Dor Endov, a lawyer, said the war needs to stop and hostages be brought back.
鈥淗e鈥檇 really like this war to continue,鈥� Endov said of Netanyahu.
鈥淲e already lost the war on 7th of October when those people were kidnapped ... We want our family, our kidnapped people back home.鈥�
Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas in response to the Palestinian group鈥檚 unprecedented October 7 attacks which resulted in the deaths of about 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
During the attacks militants seized about 250 hostages, around 132 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza. At least 27 captives are believed to have been killed, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel鈥檚 retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive have killed at least 24,927 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas government鈥檚 health ministry.
Netanyahu has vowed not to end Israel鈥檚 war in Gaza until Hamas militants are 鈥渆liminated,鈥� drawing criticism from his rivals and even from within his war cabinet that his goals are unclear.
鈥淓verybody in the country apart from his poisonous coalition knows that his decisions are not for the good of the country, he is only trying to stay in office,鈥� 69-year-old demonstrator Yair Katz said.
鈥淲e all want to see him resign, but he鈥檒l never do it by his own means.鈥�
Even before the war began, Netanyahu faced regular mass protests against the legal reforms his government was trying to push through.
The reforms aimed to curb the powers of the judiciary, a move seen by opponents as a threat to Israel鈥檚 democracy.