Thousands of Israelis rally against PM Netanyahu in Jerusalem

Tel Aviv: Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and further efforts to release detainees in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera. After demonstrating in front of the Israeli parliament on Sunday night, where they lit fires and waved flags, protesters closed a major municipal road.

They claim it was the largest demonstration since the beginning of the Gaza war in October. Protesters shouted that Netanyahu “must go” and police responded by spraying water cannons into the crowd, stomping and pushing them back.

Pressure on the prime minister is mounting as opponents of his right-wing government have united with the families of nearly a hundred hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

The families have pledged to camp on the streets every night this week, in an effort to pressure the government to “bring them back home.” According to Al Jazeera, many protesters showed Netanyahu’s face bloodied and criticized him for not doing enough to secure the country from Hamas.

Even before Israel’s war on Gaza, there were months of protests against Netanyahu over divisive judicial reforms.

On October 7, Hamas captured approximately 250 prisoners, of whom Israel estimates 130 are still in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera, of whom 33 are believed dead.

The conflict escalated in Gaza following an October 7 attack by Hamas, where approximately 2,500 militants crossed the border from the Gaza Strip into Israel, causing casualties and capturing hostages.

Israel has described its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terrorist group while attempting to minimize civilian casualties. (ANI)