Thousands of Israelis demonstrate to demand a prisoner exchange deal.

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated across the country on Saturday, demanding that the government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu strike an "urgent deal" with Palestinian factions in Gaza to release their prisoners in the enclave.

The private Israeli Channel 12 reported that thousands of Israelis "are demonstrating across the country to pressure the government to conclude an urgent exchange deal that will lead to the release of the detainees as soon as possible."

For its part, the privately owned Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that thousands of Israelis participated in demonstrations in the cities of Tel Aviv, Rehovot (central Israel), and Haifa (north Israel) demanding the release of prisoners in Gaza, even if it meant halting the war on Gaza.

This comes as Hebrew media outlets report the start of a new round of negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha, in an attempt to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.