Tensions boiled over in Israel on Saturday as hundreds took to the streets of Tel-Aviv, protesting the government’s handling of stalled hostage negotiations with Hamas. 

As per the Times of Israel, dozens of protesters managed to briefly block the Ayalon Highway after an anti-government protest merged with a Hostages Family Forum rally. Police arrested three demonstrators and deployed water cannons to clear the crowd gathering near the Azrieli Towers.

Also on Saturday, hundreds joined the city’s weekly protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence. Demonstrators accused the prime minister and his cabinet of abandoning the hostages, allowing talks with Gaza to falter.

Politico reports, citing two sources familiar with the negotiations in Doha, talks between Israel and Hamas for a potential hostage deal and ceasefire have temporarily paused in part due to the ongoing fighting in Rafah. The White House confirmed on Thursday that CIA Director Bill Burns left Doha after spending days negotiating with officials from Egypt, Israel and Qatar without reaching a final agreement.

 “His departure does not connote the end of the current round of negotiations,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. “We’re going to stay engaged in the hopes that we might be able to land something.”

However, the US has left representatives in Doha prepared to facilitate any future talks, though all those previously involved in meditation have temporarily left following the recent impasse, according to the report.