Anger is growing in Israel against Benjamin Netanyahu. A demonstration by the families and supporters of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas brought together several thousand people in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening demanding more efforts from the Prime Minister for their release.
Nearly a month after the deadly Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, several hundred people also demonstrated in Jerusalem to demand the resignation of Netanyahu, whom they consider “responsible and guilty” for failures in the management of the country.
At least 240 hostages, according to the Hebrew State
The attacks caused the deaths of 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and at least 240 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. In the Gaza Strip, which has since been relentlessly shelled by the Israeli army, nearly 9,500 people, mainly civilians, were killed according to the Hamas health ministry.
“The families of the hostages and the missing will not return home until all the hostages are home,” says the Forum of Families of the Hostages and the Missing, which called for the rally in Tel Aviv, in front of the Ministry of Defense . “I expect and demand that my government change its approach,” said Hadas Kalderon, whose five members of his family were kidnapped.
“Resign now”
Participants said they were determined to camp in front of the ministry until the hostages returned. In the afternoon, a member of the government was also booed during a meeting with families in Tel Aviv, according to images from Channel 12.
International pressure is growing on the Israeli government to accept a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, but the hostages’ relatives are making their release a sine qua non condition. In Jerusalem, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Prime Minister’s residence shouting “Resign now” and “October 7, responsible and guilty”. Some wore T-shirts printed with the Prime Minister’s face stained with blood.
The attacks of October 7 further weakened Benjamin Netanyahu, who holds the record for longevity in the post of Prime Minister in Israel and had already been facing massive protests against his judicial reform for several months.