Jerusalem: Jerusalem witnessed the largest demonstration of public discontent in Israel since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Thousands of Israelis took to the streets, highlighting the country’s worsening political divisions. Thousands of people gathered in Jerusalem in the biggest protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government since the conflict began on October 7 last year.
The rally called for elections and change, including Netanyahu’s resignation, early elections and immediate action to secure the release of about 130 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, many of whom are feared dead.
Hamas has rejected a fresh proposal by international mediators for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, while Israel has expressed outrage at a UN Security Council resolution calling for both. The war has been going on in Gaza for six months. Both rejected the latest international efforts late Monday to stop the bloodshed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel can achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas and the return of many hostages if it expands its ground offensive into the southern city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population lives in camps. Have taken shelter in.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected calls for early elections during a televised address before undergoing hernia surgery, warning that such a move would prolong the conflict and jeopardize ongoing negotiations for the release of the hostages.
Despite internal rifts within the coalition, Netanyahu expressed confidence in the government’s ability to address the recruitment controversy, a divisive issue that has underlined wide social fault lines. As the protests grew against the backdrop of the streets of Jerusalem, protesters blamed Netanyahu’s leadership for failures to ensure security and protect Israeli lives.
