Here are Saturday’s key updates on Israel, Gaza and the West Bank:
■ Thousands of Israelis protested across the country against the government, calling for all remaining deceased hostages to be released and the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre.
■ Maxim Herkin, who was released from Hamas captivity in October, thanked protesters at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, saying, “I’m here because of you, and I’m finally making my dream come true.” Fellow freed hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal shared that before he was taken into Hamas’ tunnels, he “caught a glimpse of photos from the square. You gave me strength and hope.”
■ Iran confirmed its Revolutionary Guards seized a tanker carrying petrochemical cargo bound for Singapore in Gulf waters, Iranian media reported.
■ Opposition lawmaker Vladimir Beliak said that the violence perpetrated by settlers across the West Bank is “institutionalized terror,” and warned that the violence “will spread to the streets of Israel, and already has.”
■ Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced that Lebanon will file an “urgent complaint” to the UN Security Council against Israel for constructing a concrete wall along Lebanon’s southern border that extends beyond the Blue Line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
■ Culture Minister Miki Zohar said that an agreement to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia is a “paramount Israeli interest” that will “shape the future of the Middle East for generations,” while saying that Israel would not recognize a Palestinian state “that could endanger our security.”
■ Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone conversation, during which they discussed recent developments in the Gaza Strip amid the cease-fire, the situation around Iran’s nuclear program, and efforts to support stability in Syria, the Kremlin said.