'Save lives, ceasefire' - relatives of Hamas hostages gather in Tel Aviv

Relatives have been worried since the military stepped up ground assaults inside the Palestinian territory.

During the gathering on Tuesday, some carried a sign calling for a ceasefire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with some of the families Saturday (October 28) and in a video his office released, he said that recovering the hostages was an "integral" part of the military's goals. Pressure is key. The greater the pressure the greater the chances," he said.

Israel has been bombarding the Gaza Strip, which Palestinian militant group Hamas controls, since Hamas waged a deadly Oct. 7 assault that targeted army outposts and civilian communities in the area and killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

Hamas took more than 230 hostages, including children, back into Gaza during its raids.

Israel's air strikes and artillery fire have demolished large swathes of Gaza and killed more than 8,000 people in the last three weeks, Palestinian health officials say, including some 3,000 children.