Tens of thousands of people demonstrated against Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening in Israel, the country entering its 7th month of war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. In Tel Aviv, 100,000 people, according to the organizers, gathered in “democracy square”, an intersection thus renamed since the monster parades of 2023 against a justice reform project defended by the Prime Minister but which did not succeed. Brandishing caricatures of “Bibi” and slogans hostile to the leader of the Likud (right) implicated in several legal proceedings, notably for corruption, they demanded his resignation without delay, demanding “elections now”, according to correspondents of AFP. The demonstrators then rallied other protesters demanding a negotiated solution for the release of the 129 hostages still captive, 34 of whom died according to the army, of the approximately 250 kidnapped on October 7 during the unprecedented Hamas attack in southern Israel. Demonstration, on April 6, 2024 in Tel Aviv, against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to demand the release of the 129 hostages still captive, 34 of whom died according to the army, out of the approximately 250 kidnapped on October 7 during the attack unprecedented by Hamas © AFP – JACK GUEZ At least one person was arrested and a police officer injured during clashes with the police, according to the police, who also announced the arrest of a motorist who slightly injured three people after rushing into the crowd as the demonstrators dispersed, without further details. Demonstrations were also held in around fifty other localities. In Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv, clashes broke out between police and demonstrators who tried to approach Mr. Netanyahu's private residence, and one person was arrested, according to Israeli media. Speaking during a demonstration in Kfar Saba, northeast of Tel Aviv, opposition leader, centrist Yaïr Lapid, also called for the holding of new legislative elections. “They have learned nothing. They have not changed. As long as we do not dismiss them, they will not allow this country to move forward”, he said before flying to Washington to meet senior American officials. On Sunday, a demonstration for the release of the hostages is to be held from 6:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. GMT) in Jerusalem while the army announced on Saturday that it had recovered the body of a hostage, Elad Katzir, killed in the Gaza Strip, according to her, in mid-January by her captors. The Hamas attack on October 7 led to the deaths of 1,170 people in Israel, the majority of them civilians killed on same day, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data. Demonstration, on April 6, 2024 in Tel Aviv, against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to demand the release of the 129 hostages still captive, 34 of whom died according to the army, out of the approximately 250 kidnapped on October 7 during the Hamas attack © AFP – JACK GUEZ The Israeli military offensive launched in retaliation has left more than 33,100 dead in six months, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Islamist movement and caused a humanitarian disaster with the majority of the 2.4 million inhabitants threatened with famine, according to the UN. All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse
By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116