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Anti-Netanyahu demonstration in Tel Aviv (April 6)

Photo: Ariel Schalit / AP

The pressure on Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is growing. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated against his government in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities in the evening. They called for more serious efforts to release the hostages kidnapped by the Islamist Hamas. This weekend marks exactly six months since terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups attacked southern Israel, killing 1,140 people and kidnapping another 250 as hostages in the Gaza Strip.

One of the speakers in Tel Aviv remembered Netanyahu's brother Joni, who died as an elite soldier in Uganda in 1976 while freeing hostages from a plane hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists. “And what about you, Bibi?” he asked, addressing Netanyahu by the shortened form of his first name. "What have you done? What will your legacy be? Nothing but political spin and intrigue (…) will be your legacy.«

The demonstrators lit several fires on the street. Police intervened and extinguished them with fire extinguishers. There were clashes between officers and demonstrators, as media reported. At another point, a car apparently deliberately ran over three rally participants, who suffered injuries. The police arrested the driver of the car.

Demonstration in front of Netanyahu's private villa

There were also demonstrations in Jerusalem, Haifa, Beer Sheva, Herzliya and in Caesarea in front of Netanyahu's private villa. According to media reports, Saturday was the largest protest since October 7, when the worst massacre in Israel's history triggered the Gaza war. Israel's armed forces responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Israel is now being criticized worldwide for its conduct of the war. According to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Authority, 33,000 Palestinians were killed. The information makes no distinction between fighters and civilians. International organizations see the numbers as credible.

According to Israeli estimates, almost 100 of the remaining hostages are still alive. As part of an agreement, Hamas released 105 hostages during a week-long ceasefire at the end of November last year. In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons.

czl/dpa