War in the Middle East
Thousands of people demonstrate in Jerusalem against Prime Minister Netanyahu
Show your flag: Demonstration against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. The protesters are demanding new elections and the release of the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
© Ohad Zwigenberg / AP / DPA
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing increasingly fierce protests. On Monday, thousands demonstrated in Jerusalem and demanded new elections and the release of the hostages held by Hamas.
In Israel, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war in the Gaza Strip and to demand early elections. On Monday evening, the demonstrators moved their protest to Jerusalem in front of the parliament and the prime minister’s residence. The police reported nine arrests during the night, including for using violence against security officials. Some police officers were reportedly “slightly injured”.
“I am happy that people are taking action. And I hope that it continues,” said Yaacov Godo, whose son was killed in the attack on Israel by the radical Islamist Hamas on October 7. “We must paralyze the country in order to overthrow the government,” he demanded. A retired engineer said Netanyahu was responsible “for what happened on October 7.” Every action by the prime minister contributes to the “destruction of Israel.” “Even if there is war now, every day that the war continues with him is a bad day,” stressed the 73-year-old.
Netanyahu under massive pressure in Israel
After more than eight months of war in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu is under massive domestic pressure. Last weekend, opposition leader Benny Gantz withdrew from the war cabinet formed after the major Hamas attack. On Monday, a government spokesman announced that the war cabinet had been dissolved.
On the streets of Jerusalem, demonstrators armed with drums, horns and signs demanded not only new elections but also a ceasefire agreement with Hamas to return the remaining hostages to Israel. “Everyone! Now!” they shouted before observing a minute’s silence for those still held in the area. Some protesters wore T-shirts with slogans such as “Stop the war” and “We are all equal.”
Tens of thousands of people have already taken part in similar demonstrations in Tel Aviv, the country’s largest city, in recent weeks.
Apparently almost 40,000 dead since the start of the war
According to Israeli sources, Hamas killed 1,194 people in its brutal attack on Israel on October 7 and took 251 hostages to the Gaza Strip. Some of them have since been released, others have been liberated, and still others are presumed dead.
But “dozens of hostages are certainly still alive,” a senior Israeli government official involved in negotiations with Hamas said on Monday. “We cannot leave them there much longer, they will die,” the negotiator, who asked not to be identified, told AFP news agency.
In response to the Hamas attack, Israel has been conducting massive military operations in the Gaza Strip since October. According to figures from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 37,340 people have been killed so far.