Clashes have reportedly erupted between Israeli protesters and police attempting to disperse crowds in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The protesters on Saturday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the release of hostages held in Gaza.
In a video on X, police are seen confiscating a Stop the Genocide banner from the protesters, while in another a protester is seen led away from policemen while he yells Free, Free Palestine. Five people were reportedly arrested.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the Israeli broadcasting authority reported that police “attempted to disperse the protesters in Paris Square, in the center of West Jerusalem, where several of them were arrested.”
Now in Tel Aviv: Israeli
Left wing activists protest against the killings in #Gaza pic.twitter.com/GfZRJY3thW— Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) January 26, 2024
The protesters, estimated to be in the hundreds, followed confrontations with police.
In Tel Aviv, police arrested several protesters in Kaplan Square in the city center, while hundreds were dispersed by force, and some protest equipment was seized, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, reports Anadolu.
It said that “thousands of Israelis gathered in Kaplan Square to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and early elections.”
Protesters chanted “Elections Now” and called for the immediate dismissal of Netanyahu, according to Israeli media, reports Anadolu.
Several other areas in Israel witnessed protests with thousands participating, demanding the dismissal of the government and the release of hostages, the report adds.
🚨Scenes from Tel Aviv: Israeli police confiscated a “Stop the genocide” banner during an anti-war protest. pic.twitter.com/MjJJnZmYLo
— S.C (@Malcolm_XY_) January 28, 2024
They included Haifa, Caesarea, Kefar Sava, Rehovot and Beersheba, according to the Israeli broadcasting authority and Yedioth Ahronoth, reports Anadolu.
As protests intensified, Netanyahu criticized demonstrations by the families of hostages held in Gaza as “useless and contributing to the demands of Hamas.”
These protests are becoming commonplace in particularly Tel Aviv.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 26,422 Palestinians have been killed, and 65,087 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7. Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
PC, Anadolu
