“Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand an immediate ceasefire and the return of hostages, after Hamas sent a delegation to Cairo for talks. Footage showed protesters chanting and holding Israeli flags and signs that included “Seal the deal now!” and “Biden, only you can save them!” Some protesters were seen lying on the ground with their hands tied, their mouths taped shut and fake blood painted on them, symbolizing hostages. “I believe that the future of Israelis and Palestinians is linked. We share the same land and therefore we share the same current situation and the same future,” said Roie, a protester. He added that it is the “duty of Israelis to define the leadership that will seek a solution instead of a war that hurts the most people in both countries.” “No one is free until everyone is free. This war has claimed too many lives on all sides. There is now a genocide going on in Gaza. “It is not about returning the hostages,” Maya, another protester, said. She stressed that the Israeli government must reach immediate agreements to return the hostages and “stop killing innocent people.” According to media reports, Hamas sent its delegation to Cairo ahead of talks between Egypt and Israel on the Philadelphi Corridor. Hamas reportedly claimed that it is committed to the plan presented on July 2 and rejects “any presence of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the Philadelphi Corridor” between Gaza and Egypt. During negotiations with Tel Aviv, Cairo rejected an Israeli request to build eight watchtowers along the Philadelphi Corridor. It also previously rejected a US proposal to build two such stations along the Gaza-Egypt border. Israel insists that the IDF must remain on the 14-kilometer buffer strip that separates Egypt from Israel and the Gaza Strip, while Egypt and Hamas demand the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area. Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel in October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping more than 200, according to Israeli officials. Tel Aviv believes 116 of them are still in Gaza, including 41 people the army says are dead. Israel declared war on the group and a “full siege” of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of airstrikes. A ground assault began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to “eradicate” Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that at least 40,334 people had been killed and more than 93,356 wounded at the time of publication. The IDF claimed that Hamas sites and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned of “collective punishment” for the people of Gaza, before predicting a “humanitarian crisis” and then claiming that “hell is brewing” for the region.