Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated to demand that the government immediately accept the deal

Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Israeli cities Sunday, demanding the government immediately accept a deal to free the hostages after the Israeli military found the bodies of six hostages in the Gaza Strip.

According to the New York Times and Reuters, this is one of the largest demonstrations in Israel in many months. Local media estimated that as many as 500,000 people took part in demonstrations in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do more to bring the remaining 101 hostages home. Israel estimates that about a third of the hostages are dead. The union leader called for a general strike on Monday (2nd).

The IDF has released the identities of six hostages, including four men and two women, one of whom is a US citizen. The bodies of six people found in the Rafah tunnel were returned to Israel, where forensics determined that they had been "shot multiple times at close range by Hamas terrorists" 48 to 72 hours earlier.

In Tel Aviv, relatives and supporters of the hostages marched with six prop coffins, blocked a major highway and gathered in front of Israel's military headquarters. In Jerusalem, Israeli police used water cannon trucks to spray skunk water on protesters and forcibly disperse crowds that had gathered at the city's main entrance.

Israeli media said there were also demonstrations in smaller cities, including Haifa and Beersheba. In Rehovot, in central Israel, demonstrators blocked traffic and chanted: "We want them back alive, not in coffins!"

Senior Hamas officials said Israel was to blame for the hostages' deaths by refusing to sign a cease-fire.

Senior Hamas official Sami Zuhri told Reuters that Netanyahu was responsible for the deaths of Israeli prisoners, saying: "The Israelis should choose between Netanyahu and the agreement."

According to Bloomberg News, much of the anger in Israel is directed at Netanyahu. The Histadrut, which represents most of Israel's trade unionists, announced a nationwide strike Sunday in an effort to force the government and Hamas to reach a deal for the release of the remaining hostages.

The strike sites include Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel's main airport.

"We can no longer stand idly by," said Bal David, president of the Israel General Labor Union. "This kind of thing - the killing of Jews in Gaza tunnels - is outrageous and must stop," he said. There has to be a deal, a deal is more important than anything else."