Anti-war demonstrators protest in Tel Aviv

Several thousand Israelis from left-wing parties and activist groups rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening (August 16) in support of peace with the Palestinians.

Israel's military offensive in Gaza has had broad public support within Israel. However, the prospect of a long-term truce that improves Hamas' economic or diplomatic standing has drawn misgivings among Israelis and within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightist government.

Some Israeli opposition figures point to the war, and the intractable relationship with Hamas, as cause to rekindle peace talks with Abbas that Netanyahu froze over the Palestinian leader's pact with Hamas.

It's a point of view some protesters Saturday agreed with.

"We came to demonstrate in favour of a political solution between Israel and the Palestinians. We think the war is not helping anyone, is harming both Israel and the Palestinians, and the way to solve the conflict both in Gaza and in the West Bank is only by reachin