In Photos: Israelis rally in largest anti-government protest since war in Gaza began

AP , Sunday 31 Mar 2024

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered outside the parliament building in Jerusalem on Sunday in the largest anti-government demonstration since the country went to war in October.

Jerusalem
Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest against the Israeli government and to demand a secure release of captives held by the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attacks, in Jerusalem on March 31, 2024. AFP

 

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered outside the parliament building in Jerusalem on Sunday in the largest anti-government demonstration since the country went to war in October.

They urged the government to reach a ceasefire deal to free dozens of captives held by the Hamas group in Gaza and to hold early elections.

After 7 October, Israeli society was broadly united.

However, Israel's woes in the war in the last six months brought about divisions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas and bring all the captives home, yet those goals have been elusive.

While Hamas has suffered heavy losses, it remains intact.

Roughly half the captives in Gaza were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November.

But repeated attempts by international mediators to broker another ceasefire deal to bring home the remaining captives have failed.

Captives' families believe time is running out.

“After six months, it seems like the government understands that Bibi Netanyahu is an obstacle,” said demonstrator Einav Moses, whose father-in-law, Gadi Moses, is held captive. “Like he doesn’t want to bring them back, that they have failed in this mission.”

The crowd stretched for blocks around the Knesset or parliament building, and organizers vowed to continue the demonstration for several days. 

They urged the government to hold new elections nearly two years before schedule. Thousands also demonstrated in Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu, in a nationally televised speech before undergoing hernia surgery later Sunday, said he understood families' pain.

But he said calling new elections, in what he described as a moment before victory, would paralyze Israel for six to eight months and would paralyze the captive talks.

Netanyahu’s governing coalition appears to remain firmly intact, and even if he were ousted, top rival Benny Gantz is a war cabinet member and likely would continue many of his policies.

Netanyahu also repeated his vow for a military ground offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than half of the territory's population of 2.3 million now shelters after fleeing fighting elsewhere. 

“There is no victory without going into Rafah," he said, adding that U.S. pressure would not deter him. Israel's military says Hamas battalions remain there.

In another reminder of Israel's divisions, a group of reservists and retired officers demonstrated in an ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood.

Ultra-Orthodox men for generations have received exemptions from military service, which is compulsory for most Jewish men and women. 

Resentment over that has deepened during the war.

Netanyahu’s government has been ordered to present a new plan for a more equitable draft law by Monday.

Netanyahu, who relies heavily on the support of ultra-Orthodox parties, last week asked for an extension. 

“There is a need to promote equality. This can be done with hammers, but it won’t work,” he said.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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