Thousands rally against Netanyahu gov't in Tel Aviv

STORY: Protester Mimi Lahad called Netanyahu a dictator, adding that she, "didn't want a dictatorship" and that the protesters, "want change."

As concern mounts in Israel for the wellbeing of the 129 remaining hostages, who cannot be contacted, their families and friends have organized increasingly vocal demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightist government.

They have dovetailed with activists who have long called for Netanyahu's ouster given his trial on graft charges - which he denies - and his attempts to overhaul the judiciary last year.

Michael Levy called for his brother's release at a vigil held separately from the anti-government protest. "191 days of me missing my brother and my brother’s two and a half year old son is missing his father. This is why I'm here," he said.

Hamas-led gunmen seized 253 people during an Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 others, according to officials. Some hostages were freed in a November truce but Egyptian- and Qatari-mediated efforts to secure another deal appear to have stalled.