Protesters mass outside Israeli PM Netanyahu's house as anger grows
Reuters
Reuters
November 4, 2023
]Protestors gather against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu near his residence, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Jerusalem, November 4, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad Acquire Licensing Rights
JERUSALEM, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Police held back protesters outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, amid widespread anger at the failures that led to last month's deadly attack by Hamas gunmen on communities around the Gaza Strip.
Waving blue and white Israeli flags and chanting "Jail now!", a crowd in the hundreds pushed through police barriers around Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem.
The protest, which coincided with a poll showing more than three quarters of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign, underlined the growing public fury at their political and security leaders.
Netanyahu has so far not accepted personal responsibility for the failures that allowed the surprise assault which saw hundreds of Hamas gunmen storm into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 people and taking at least 240 hostage.
As the initial shock has faded, public anger has grown, with many families of the hostages held in Gaza bitterly critical of the government response and calling for their relatives to be brought home.
In Tel Aviv, thousands demonstrated, waving flags and holding photographs of some of the captives in Gaza and posters with slogans like "Release the hostages now at all costs" while crowds chanted, "bring them home now".
Ofri Bibas-Levy, whose brother, along with his four-year-old son Ariel and 10-month-old son Kfir were taken hostage by Hamas, told Reuters that she came to show support for her family.
"We don't know where they are, we don't know what condition they are kept in. I don't know if Kfir is getting food, I don't know if Ariel is getting enough food. He is a very small baby," said Bibas-Levy.
Since the attack, Israel has launched an intense air and ground offensive in Gaza, killing more than 9,000 people, health authorities in the Hamas-run area say, and reducing large areas of the enclave to rubble.
Even before the war, Netanyahu had been a divisive figure, fighting corruption charges, which he denies, and pushing through a plan to curb the powers of the judiciary that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets to protest.
On Saturday, a poll for Israel's Channel 13 Television found 76% of Israelis thought Netanyahu, now serving a record sixth term as prime minister, should resign and 64% saying the country should hold an election immediately after the war.
When asked who is most at fault for the attack, 44% of Israelis blamed Netanyahu, while 33% blamed the military chief of staff and senior IDF officials and 5% blamed the Defense Minister, according to the poll.
Reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Ros Russell and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
]Protestors gather against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu near his residence, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Jerusalem, November 4, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad Acquire Licensing Rights
JERUSALEM, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Police held back protesters outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, amid widespread anger at the failures that led to last month's deadly attack by Hamas gunmen on communities around the Gaza Strip.
Waving blue and white Israeli flags and chanting "Jail now!", a crowd in the hundreds pushed through police barriers around Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem.
The protest, which coincided with a poll showing more than three quarters of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign, underlined the growing public fury at their political and security leaders.
Netanyahu has so far not accepted personal responsibility for the failures that allowed the surprise assault which saw hundreds of Hamas gunmen storm into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 people and taking at least 240 hostage.
As the initial shock has faded, public anger has grown, with many families of the hostages held in Gaza bitterly critical of the government response and calling for their relatives to be brought home.
In Tel Aviv, thousands demonstrated, waving flags and holding photographs of some of the captives in Gaza and posters with slogans like "Release the hostages now at all costs" while crowds chanted, "bring them home now".
Ofri Bibas-Levy, whose brother, along with his four-year-old son Ariel and 10-month-old son Kfir were taken hostage by Hamas, told Reuters that she came to show support for her family.
"We don't know where they are, we don't know what condition they are kept in. I don't know if Kfir is getting food, I don't know if Ariel is getting enough food. He is a very small baby," said Bibas-Levy.
Since the attack, Israel has launched an intense air and ground offensive in Gaza, killing more than 9,000 people, health authorities in the Hamas-run area say, and reducing large areas of the enclave to rubble.
Even before the war, Netanyahu had been a divisive figure, fighting corruption charges, which he denies, and pushing through a plan to curb the powers of the judiciary that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets to protest.
On Saturday, a poll for Israel's Channel 13 Television found 76% of Israelis thought Netanyahu, now serving a record sixth term as prime minister, should resign and 64% saying the country should hold an election immediately after the war.
When asked who is most at fault for the attack, 44% of Israelis blamed Netanyahu, while 33% blamed the military chief of staff and senior IDF officials and 5% blamed the Defense Minister, according to the poll.
Reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Ros Russell and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
Protests in Israel target Netanyahu over release of captives
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv over the government’s handling of the crisis.
Published On 4 Nov 2023
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Israel as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government’s lack of preparedness for the October 7 attacks by Palestinian group Hamas and its handling of the ensuing captive crisis.
Police held back hundreds of protesters outside Netanyahu’s residence on Saturday. Waving blue and white Israeli flags, demonstrators chanted “Jail now!” as a crowd pushed through security barriers.
In Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, several thousand protesters, including relatives and friends of some of the captives, chanted: “Bring them home now”.
“I expect and demand from my government, think out of the box,” said Hadas Kalderon, who said five members of her family were among the kidnapped.
“I find myself in hell,” she said. “Every day I wake up to another day of war. A war for the life of my children.”
Netanyahu has so far not accepted personal responsibility for the failures that allowed the surprise assault which saw hundreds of Hamas fighters storm into southern Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people and taking at least 240 captive.
The war Israel has since launched on Gaza has so far killed more than 9,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and reduced large areas of the besieged enclave to rubble.
Public anger in Israel has been growing, with many families of the captives held in Gaza bitterly critical of the government’s response and calling for their relatives to be brought home.
Even before the war, Netanyahu had been a divisive figure, fighting corruption charges, which he denies, and pushing through a plan to curb the powers of the judiciary that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets to protest.
On Saturday, a poll for Israel’s Channel 13 Television found 76 percent of Israelis thought Netanyahu, now serving a record sixth term as prime minister, should resign and 64 percent said the country should hold an election immediately after the war.
When asked who is most at fault for the attack, 44 percent of Israelis blamed Netanyahu, while 33 percent blamed the military chief of staff and senior Israeli Defence Force officials and 5 percent blamed the defence minister, according to the poll.
Calls for ‘humanitarian pauses’, ceasefire
On Saturday, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the US is calling for “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, during a press conference in Amman with his counterparts from Jordan and Egypt.
But the Jordanian and Egyptian ministers rebuked that position, instead reiterating the need for an immediate ceasefire – echoing calls from other Arab leaders.
The armed wing of Hamas said on Saturday that more than 60 captives are missing because of Israeli air raids on Gaza.
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, also said on Hamas’s Telegram account that 23 bodies of Israeli captives were trapped under the rubble.
“It seems that we will never be able to reach them due to the continued brutal aggression of the occupation against Gaza,” he said.
KEEP READING
Protesters rally around the world demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv over the government’s handling of the crisis.
Friends and relatives hold portraits of Israeli captive Idan Shviti, abducted during the October 7 Hamas attack, at a rally calling for the release of captives, in Tel Aviv on November 4, 2023 [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP]
Published On 4 Nov 2023
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Israel as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government’s lack of preparedness for the October 7 attacks by Palestinian group Hamas and its handling of the ensuing captive crisis.
Police held back hundreds of protesters outside Netanyahu’s residence on Saturday. Waving blue and white Israeli flags, demonstrators chanted “Jail now!” as a crowd pushed through security barriers.
In Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, several thousand protesters, including relatives and friends of some of the captives, chanted: “Bring them home now”.
“I expect and demand from my government, think out of the box,” said Hadas Kalderon, who said five members of her family were among the kidnapped.
“I find myself in hell,” she said. “Every day I wake up to another day of war. A war for the life of my children.”
Netanyahu has so far not accepted personal responsibility for the failures that allowed the surprise assault which saw hundreds of Hamas fighters storm into southern Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people and taking at least 240 captive.
The war Israel has since launched on Gaza has so far killed more than 9,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and reduced large areas of the besieged enclave to rubble.
Public anger in Israel has been growing, with many families of the captives held in Gaza bitterly critical of the government’s response and calling for their relatives to be brought home.
Even before the war, Netanyahu had been a divisive figure, fighting corruption charges, which he denies, and pushing through a plan to curb the powers of the judiciary that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets to protest.
On Saturday, a poll for Israel’s Channel 13 Television found 76 percent of Israelis thought Netanyahu, now serving a record sixth term as prime minister, should resign and 64 percent said the country should hold an election immediately after the war.
When asked who is most at fault for the attack, 44 percent of Israelis blamed Netanyahu, while 33 percent blamed the military chief of staff and senior Israeli Defence Force officials and 5 percent blamed the defence minister, according to the poll.
Calls for ‘humanitarian pauses’, ceasefire
On Saturday, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the US is calling for “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, during a press conference in Amman with his counterparts from Jordan and Egypt.
But the Jordanian and Egyptian ministers rebuked that position, instead reiterating the need for an immediate ceasefire – echoing calls from other Arab leaders.
The armed wing of Hamas said on Saturday that more than 60 captives are missing because of Israeli air raids on Gaza.
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, also said on Hamas’s Telegram account that 23 bodies of Israeli captives were trapped under the rubble.
“It seems that we will never be able to reach them due to the continued brutal aggression of the occupation against Gaza,” he said.
KEEP READING
Protesters rally around the world demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
04 November, 2023
Widespread anger has erupted against the Israeli government across occupied Jerusalem and Tel Aviv- amid Israel's ongoing bombardment on Gaza
Public anger of Israelis has grown, as criticism intensifies following the government response- as well as calls for hostages to be brought home [Getty]
Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv and occupied Jerusalem on Saturday, as criticism intensifies against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a result of his government's brutal response, following the October 7 attacks and its handling of the ensuing hostage crisis.
The attacks by Hamas led to more than 1,400 people killed- with 240 more taken hostage, according to Israeli forces.
Israel's devastating air, ground and sea bombardment followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, has killed nearly 9,500 Palestinians. according to the Palestinian health ministry.
In Tel Aviv, several thousand protesters took to the streets on Saturday evening, including relatives and friends of some of the hostages, chanting: "Bring them home now".
Meanwhile, in occupied Jerusalem, hundreds came together outside Netanyahu's residence with more explicit calls for his resignation.
Waving blue and white Israeli flags and chanting "Jail now!", a crowd in the hundreds pushed through police barriers around Netanyahu's residence in occupied Jerusalem.
The protest, which coincided with a poll showing more than three quarters of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign, underlined the growing public fury at their political and security leaders.
The premier, who has led Israel for nearly 16 of the past 27 years, is still fighting three corruption cases in court.
The nine months leading up to October 7 saw mass protests over his far-right government's controversial judicial reforms that opponents have called a threat to Israeli democracy.
Hundreds of Israeli protesters demand release of prisoners in Gaza
Media reports say demonstrations continue almost daily to pressure government to secure release of prisoners
Samar L. Kasim |05.11.2023 -
JERUSALEM
Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated Saturday to demand the release of prisoners held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to media reports.
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said the demonstration was near Tel Aviv at the Emek Hefer junction.
Thousands demonstrate almost daily across Israel to pressure the government to take measures to release those detained in Gaza.
Hamas proposed a prisoner exchange deal that would free all prisoners in the Gaza Strip in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
But Israel insists on releasing prisoners through a massive operation in the Gaza Strip, rejecting calls to come to terms with the Palestinian resistance group.
Earlier Saturday, Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman warned, during a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in Jordan, that continued Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip "will double the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip and complicate securing the release of prisoners."
There are at least 242 Israelis who were captured by Hamas and other Palestinian groups during a surprise attack Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
More than 6,000 Palestinians are imprisoned by Israel.
Thousands in Israel protest government war response
Thousands demonstrated in Israel yesterday, as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government’s lack of preparedness for the October 7 attacks and its handling of the ensuing hostage crisis. — AFP pic
Sunday, 05 Nov 2023
TEL AVIV, Nov 5 — Thousands demonstrated in Israel yesterday, as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government’s lack of preparedness for the October 7 attacks and its handling of the ensuing hostage crisis.
The attacks by Gaza’s ruling Islamist movement Hamas took the Israeli military and political establishment by surprise and killed more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, with 240 more taken hostage, according to the army.
In retaliation, Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and has mounted a devastating air, ground and sea bombardment followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, where the hostages are believed to be held.
The campaign has killed nearly 9,500 Palestinians. according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
In Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, several thousand protesters took to the streets on Saturday evening, including relatives and friends of some of the hostages, chanting: “Bring them home now”.
“I expect and demand from my government, think out of the box,” said Hadas Kalderon, who said five members of her family were among the kidnapped.
“I find myself in hell,” she said. “Every day I wake up to another day of war. A war for the life of my children.”
International pressure is growing on Israel to agree to humanitarian pauses in the Gaza fighting, but hostages’ loved-ones said they should be released as a precondition.
“First release them all and then do everything else to deal with the situation,” said 26-year-old Or Levi. “It’s bizarre that the families do the job for the government”.
In Jerusalem, hundreds came together outside Netanyahu’s residence with more explicit calls for his resignation.
“We’d like a vote to be held to get rid of Netanyahu. I hope that the demonstrations will continue and grow,” 39-year-old Netta Tzin told AFP.
“They betrayed us. The only thing that is functioning right now is the people.”
Netanyahu, 74, was facing political pressure even before the Hamas attacks.
The premier, who has led Israel for nearly 16 of the past 27 years, is still fighting three corruption cases in court.
The nine months leading up to October 7 saw mass protests over his hard-right government’s divisive judicial reforms that opponents have called a threat to Israeli democracy. — AFP
Media reports say demonstrations continue almost daily to pressure government to secure release of prisoners
Samar L. Kasim |05.11.2023 -
JERUSALEM
Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated Saturday to demand the release of prisoners held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to media reports.
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said the demonstration was near Tel Aviv at the Emek Hefer junction.
Thousands demonstrate almost daily across Israel to pressure the government to take measures to release those detained in Gaza.
Hamas proposed a prisoner exchange deal that would free all prisoners in the Gaza Strip in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
But Israel insists on releasing prisoners through a massive operation in the Gaza Strip, rejecting calls to come to terms with the Palestinian resistance group.
Earlier Saturday, Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman warned, during a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in Jordan, that continued Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip "will double the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip and complicate securing the release of prisoners."
There are at least 242 Israelis who were captured by Hamas and other Palestinian groups during a surprise attack Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
More than 6,000 Palestinians are imprisoned by Israel.
Thousands in Israel protest government war response
Thousands demonstrated in Israel yesterday, as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government’s lack of preparedness for the October 7 attacks and its handling of the ensuing hostage crisis. — AFP pic
Sunday, 05 Nov 2023
TEL AVIV, Nov 5 — Thousands demonstrated in Israel yesterday, as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government’s lack of preparedness for the October 7 attacks and its handling of the ensuing hostage crisis.
The attacks by Gaza’s ruling Islamist movement Hamas took the Israeli military and political establishment by surprise and killed more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, with 240 more taken hostage, according to the army.
In retaliation, Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and has mounted a devastating air, ground and sea bombardment followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, where the hostages are believed to be held.
The campaign has killed nearly 9,500 Palestinians. according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
In Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, several thousand protesters took to the streets on Saturday evening, including relatives and friends of some of the hostages, chanting: “Bring them home now”.
“I expect and demand from my government, think out of the box,” said Hadas Kalderon, who said five members of her family were among the kidnapped.
“I find myself in hell,” she said. “Every day I wake up to another day of war. A war for the life of my children.”
International pressure is growing on Israel to agree to humanitarian pauses in the Gaza fighting, but hostages’ loved-ones said they should be released as a precondition.
“First release them all and then do everything else to deal with the situation,” said 26-year-old Or Levi. “It’s bizarre that the families do the job for the government”.
In Jerusalem, hundreds came together outside Netanyahu’s residence with more explicit calls for his resignation.
“We’d like a vote to be held to get rid of Netanyahu. I hope that the demonstrations will continue and grow,” 39-year-old Netta Tzin told AFP.
“They betrayed us. The only thing that is functioning right now is the people.”
Netanyahu, 74, was facing political pressure even before the Hamas attacks.
The premier, who has led Israel for nearly 16 of the past 27 years, is still fighting three corruption cases in court.
The nine months leading up to October 7 saw mass protests over his hard-right government’s divisive judicial reforms that opponents have called a threat to Israeli democracy. — AFP
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