TEL AVIV, September 8. /TASS/. More than half a million Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, calling for the soonest release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip for 11 months and for early elections in Israel, a TASS correspondent reported.

According to organizers of the rally, similar protests took place in Jerusalem, Haifa, Kfar Sava, Be'er Sheva, Netanya, Rehovot and Rishon LeZion, in which tens of thousands of Israelis took part. According to the organizers, the rally in Tel Aviv brought together the largest ever number of protesters.

At the end of the rally in Tel Aviv, hundreds of protesters refused to leave, but some of them began blocking the Ayalon highway in eastern part of the capital. Police said the rally was illegal and detained several demonstrators. Some protesters called for the immediate resignation of the Benjamin Netanyahu government and for the early elections in Israel as soon as possible.

According to Israeli authorities, Hamas is currently holding 62 hostages and 39 bodies of those who were taken hostage before.