TEL AVIV (Dispatches) -- Hundreds of thousands of settlers have protested across the occupied territories for the eighth consecutive night with some clashes reported with the Israeli police.
The demonstrations were ignited on Sunday last week after the bodies of six captives were recovered from the Gaza Strip.
In Tel Aviv, the main site of the protests, organizers reported that over 500,000 people participated. Some 250,000 others also joined the rallies in towns elsewhere across the occupied territories, including in Al-Quds, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, and near prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea. 
Chanting “The regime’s lies won’t bring about security,” protesters demanded an end to the 11-month-long war in Gaza, the resignation of the Israeli far-right cabinet, and another general strike to build up economic pressure for a ceasefire deal.
After the main protest in Tel Aviv, demonstrators gathered near the Ayalon Highway, blocking it and setting a bonfire on nearby Begin Street. There were scuffles with police, and at least one person was arrested.
The momentum from these protests shows no sign of fading. After a week of demonstrations, the families of the captives and advocacy groups are urging the public to keep taking to the streets to demand a deal.
Last week the head of Israel’s powerful Histadrut trade union, Arnon Bar-David, called for a “complete strike” starting Monday to pressure the regime to secure a deal for the release of the remaining captives.
Bar-David emphasized the urgency of reaching a deal, saying, “A deal is not progressing due to political considerations and this is unacceptable.”
The death of six captives last week ignited fury among settlers who have for months denounced
 Netanyahu’s policy of torpedoing a deal with Hamas in favor of his political interests.      
Senior Hamas officials said that Israel, in its refusal to sign a ceasefire agreement, was to blame for the deaths.
“Netanyahu is responsible for the killing of Israeli prisoners,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters. “The Israelis should choose between Netanyahu and the deal.”
On Saturday Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich expressed opposition to a captives-ceasefire deal, even if it allows the Zionist regime to maintain a presence on the Egyptian-Gaza border.
He argued that even the terms supported by Netanyahu would undermine Israel’s goals.
In an interview on Channel 12 news, Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party, stopped short of saying he would leave the coalition if such a deal proceeded.