Thousands protest Gaza war in Israel, call Netanyahu ‘obstacle’ to truce

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of the two Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem demanding.

The resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the raging war in Gaza as the conflict approaches its six-month mark, with over 130 hostages still remaining in captivity.

The protests on Saturday evening came as truce talks between Israel and Hamas will resume on Sunday in Cairo. The talks, brokered by international mediators, aim to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of hostages.

According to Israeli authorities, at least 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza.

In Tel Aviv, the protesters, which included relatives of some of the hostages, blocked the city’s ring road. They were demanding the release of the hostages as well as early elections.

Late Saturday night, the Israel Police posted on social media that security personnel were “working to maintain public order” as protesters broke order and attempted to block major roads on Kaplan Street.

The police also said that the protesters clashed with officers, violated public order, lit bonfires, and blocked roads.

“The Israel Police considers the right to protest as a cornerstone in a democratic country and allows protests as long as they are held within the framework of the law. At the same time, the police will not allow disturbances of any kind or damage to freedom of movement and any behaviour that may endanger the safety of the public,” it said in a post on X.

Early Sunday morning, the police announced that the protest in Tel Aviv had ended, while 16 protesters were arrested.

“We have realised that you are the obstacle to the deal,” The Times of Israel quoted Einav as saying. “You are torpedoing the deal. You stand between us and bringing our loved ones home.”

“You are consciously and intentionally preventing a deal, and therefore we are forced to do everything in our power to remove the obstacle, which is you. We have no choice,” she added.

Ayala Metzger, whose father-in-law Yoram Metzger is also a hostage in Gaza, said Prime Minister “left us no choice.”

“We have seen how personal political interest motives him again and again in making decisions. How his concern for the coalition outweighs the return of our kidnapped loved ones. It is a complete failure,” The Times of Israel quoted Ayala Metzger as saying.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Prime Minister Netanyahu’s residence and blamed his far-right government for failing to secure the release of the hostages.

More anti-government protests are scheduled to take place in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Saturday’s protest came days after it was reported that Israel recalled its negotiators from Doha after it blamed Hamas for reaching a “dead end” in the truce talks due to the Palestinian group’s demands.

On March 26, a senior Israeli official accused Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar of sabotaging diplomacy “as part of a wider effort to inflame this war over Ramadan”.

But Hamas has accused Israel of stalling at the talks while it carries out its military offensive.

Tel Aviv witnessed protests last week as well when a crowd of around 300 family members of hostages and their supporters gathered outside the Israeli defence headquarters demanding an immediate deal to release the captives.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, at least 32,623 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with 75,092 others injured, according to the latest figures by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In Israel, the death toll stood at more than 1,200 , including foreign nationals.