Tel Aviv protests: Thousands of Israelis demand Netanyahu’s resignation and return of hostages
Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest against the Israeli government, demanding more measures for hostages held by Hamas. The demonstrators demanded that the government reach an agreement with the Palestinian factions to release dozens of prisoners.
The demonstrators carried pictures of the female soldiers who appeared in a video earlier this week depicting their detention and banners that read: “Stop the war.” The demonstrators also called for the resignation of the Israeli Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu demanded new elections.
Demonstrator Helet Saji said: Women are demonstrating for the return of all the hostages. After we all watched the video, we could not stay in our homes after the government abandoned these people.
The division is increasing among the Israelis regarding how Prime Minister Netanyahu dealt with the war on the Palestinians in Gaza after the Palestinian factions carried out the Al-Aqsa Flood operation in the Gaza Strip on October 7, which resulted in the killing of about 1,200 people and the capture of 250 Israelis.
Protester Snir Dahan said: Basically, they are not doing enough for the return of the hostages, either by military force, through hostage deals, or negotiation. Nothing is done.
Earlier this week, the bodies of three Israeli detainees killed on October 7 were recovered from Gaza, the Israeli military said on Friday, while the UN International Court of Justice ruled that Israel must halt its military operations in Rafah and allow aid in.
Demonstrators in Israel, on Saturday, took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Caesarea and Haifa to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the holding of early elections. The demonstrators also called for the release of all hostages held in Gaza.
Many waved Israeli flags and raised banners with pictures of Israeli hostages, calling on the government to return them alive to their homeland.
In Tel Aviv, demonstrators chanted: We are not afraid. You destroyed the country, and we will fix it. We want the hostages alive, not in coffins. Other demonstrators were seen on the ground carrying flags and banners. One banner read: “The government that destroyed the country and tore the nation apart,” and another banner read: Netanyahu is a danger to Israel.
In Haifa, the demonstrators chanted: “The government is a failure, Netanyahu. You are guilty. Time is running out regarding the hostages.” The demonstrators in Caesarea also called on the Israeli government to make every effort to return the hostages.
For its part, the Israeli police said in a statement that they arrested a demonstrator for punching and injuring a police officer during a demonstration in Tel Aviv. The police also warned the demonstrators against lighting fires. In contrast, demonstrators marched in the streets, saying that this might constitute a “threat,” and added: “We will act without No tolerance towards those who disrupt order and act violently towards police officers.
The bodies of Hanan Yablonka, Michele Nissenbaum and Orion Hernandez Rado were found, and their families were notified. The Israeli army said that they were killed on the day of the attack on the Mefalsim intersection, and their bodies were transported to Gaza.
This announcement comes less than a week after the army announced that the bodies of three other Israeli hostages who were killed on October 7 were found. Israel says that about 100 Israeli prisoners are still being held in Gaza, along with the bodies of about 30 others.
