Thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv on September 1, calling on the Israeli government to immediately strike a deal with Hamas to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, local media reported.

The demonstration, which Ynet portal estimated at over 100,000 participants, saw protesters reading out names of cabinet members opposing a deal, met with whistles and shouts of "shame" from the crowd.

"More than one hundred thousand people booed cabinet members, shouting 'we won't abandon them'," Ynet reported.

The protests reflect growing public pressure on the Israeli government to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attack as the conflict approaches its eleventh month.

Avi Shimriz, father of a hostage, told the crowd that a deal with Hamas was the only way to save the captives. He claimed his son had escaped captivity in December 2023 but was mistakenly killed by Israeli forces who thought he was Palestinian.

Protesters blocked several key highways, with social media posts showing burning tyre barricades on major roads.

The rally comes ahead of a planned nationwide economic strike on September 2, called by the Histadrut labour federation. Hundreds of commercial companies and government institutions, including Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport, have announced their intention to join the strike.

Alexander Lobanov, a Russian-Israeli citizen killed while held hostage by Hamas, was buried on August 31 in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, the Israeli embassy in Moscow said.

Lobanov was among six hostages whose bodies were recovered by Israeli forces in a Gaza tunnel earlier in the week. He had been held captive since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.  

"Israel will continue to provide all necessary support to Alexander's relatives and other hostages. Despite everything, we will continue to fight for the immediate release of all remaining hostages," the embassy said in a statement on Telegram.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly called Lobanov's parents to apologize for not being able to rescue him alive.

This is while Israel has increased attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank area close, home, several people have been killed in those targeted raids in recent days.

The Israeli military said "large forces" had entered Jenin, which Israel considers a militant stronghold, as well as Tulkarm and the Al-Faraa refugee camp. Media reports also indicated operations in Nablus and Tubas.