TEL AVIV: Anti-government protesters have once again stormed the streets in Israel, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanding early elections in the country amid its ongoing war with Hamas.
The demonstrators took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Caesarea and Haifa on Saturday, according to CNN, where they called for the release of the hostages by waving Israeli flags and holding signs featuring their images.
“We are not afraid; you destroyed the country, and we will fix it. We want them (hostages) back alive and not in coffins,” the protesters in Tel Aviv were heard chanting, as per CNN.
Another banner called for the “division of religion and state,” and one stated that “Netanyahu is dangerous to Israel.” Demonstrators in Haifa referred to the government as a failure, calling Netanyahu “guilty, guilty, guilty,” according to CNN.
“Elections now!” read another banner held by a protester.
Israelis have been expressing increasing dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s management of the ongoing conflict, and the release of the hostages who have been held in Gaza since October 7.
In Tel Aviv, a protester was arrested for punching and injuring a police officer during an anti-government rally on Saturday, according to a statement from the Israeli Police.
The Israel Police also warned protesters not to light bonfires as demonstrators march through the streets, saying it can be “life-threatening” around the crowd.
“We will act with zero tolerance towards those who disrupt the order and behave violently towards police officers,” authorities said in a statement, according to CNN.
Earlier this week, tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and more attempts to release captives held in Gaza.
After demonstrating in front of the Israeli parliament on Sunday night, where they lit fires and waved the flag, protesters closed a major municipal route.
They asserted that this was the largest demonstration since the start of the Gaza War in October. Protesters yelled Netanyahu “must go,” and police responded by using water cannons against the crowd, jostling and pushing them back.
The prime minister has been under increasing pressure as opponents of his right-wing government have united with the families of the roughly one hundred hostages that Hamas in Gaza still holds.
Months of demonstrations against Netanyahu over divisive judicial reforms had occurred even prior to Israel’s war on Gaza.
On October 7, Hamas took approximately 250 prisoners, of whom Israel estimates that 130 are still in Gaza, 33 of whom are thought to be dead, as per Al Jazeera.
The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.