Thousands of Israelis have held protests, calling on prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign over his handling of the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and failure to secure the release of the remaining captives held in the Palestinian territory.
The anti-regime demonstrations took place on Saturday night outside the Israeli military’s headquarters in Tel Aviv and Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea.
The protesters demanded immediate elections and a deal with the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement to release all the Israeli captives.
They carried banners reading, “Elections now,” “A diplomatic agreement,” “The cry of mothers: Get our soldiers out of Gaza now” and “Israel will not survive if we don’t bring him (Netanyahu) down.”
Israel waged the genocidal war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
However, almost three months into the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its objectives of “destroying Hamas” and finding Israeli captives despite killing 21,672 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 56,165 others.
A week-long humanitarian ceasefire in late November saw an exchange between 240 Palestinian abductees held by Israel and 105 captives, including 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners, in Gaza.
Israel believes about 129 captives are still being held in Gaza, while there are thought to be 7,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, many detained without charge.
Speaking at a press briefing Saturday evening, Netanyahu said there was possible “movement” toward a new agreement for the release of the remaining captives, stressing, however, that he does not “want to raise exaggerated expectations.”
He also noted that the onslaught on Gaza will last “many months” and that the military needed time to “achieve its goals.”
Netanyahu fueling conflict with ‘poison machine’
Speaking at the Tel Aviv protest, Major General (reserve) Guy Zur said Netanyahu had “sacrificed” Israelis for his “political needs and love of power” and thus he “is not suited to lead us to victory.”
“Netanyahu and his people are unethical, have no authority or capability, and even now during the war they continue to fuel conflict with their ‘poison machine,’” Zur added.
Israel ‘lost war on October 7’
Another protester, Rotem Telem, said she participated at the rally out of a sense of “despair and fear” over the current situation.
“People on both sides are dying for no purpose. I’m afraid they’re telling us we’re winning a war which we lost on October 7,” she emphasized.
“We can’t win this war. You can’t change paradigms with war. Children dying is not a policy.”
She also said that Netanyahu “can’t make decisions based on the good of” Israel as his “narrow interest is personal survival.”
Israeli regime prioritized own ‘political ambitions’
Demonstrator Molly Manekar said that the Israeli regime has prioritized its “political ambitions” and that the issue of captives is not on its top priorities.
In order to release Israeli captives, she added, “a ceasefire must be taking place. There’s no other way.”
In Caesarea, protesters chanted for Netanyahu to “be removed now” and held signs with a bloody handprint and the word “Guilty.”
