Tens of thousands at Tel Aviv rally demand ceasefire deal

Tens of thousands of people joined a mass rally in Tel Aviv late Sunday to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza war after the Israeli military announced it had recovered the bodies of six hostages from the Gaza Strip.

Many protesters were carrying Israeli flags, and six caskets were put up on a stage to commemorate the dead hostages.

Demonstrators also blocked a central motorway in Tel Aviv, while people also took to the streets in other Israeli cities.

The protesters called on the government to quickly agree to a ceasefire deal and secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages from Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Indirect negotiations on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian extremist group Hamas, mediated by Egypt, the US and Qatar, have been at a stalemate for month.

Israel's labour federation Histadrut has called for a general strike on Monday to up the pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a hostage deal.