Anti-Government Protests Rock Tel Aviv with Over 150,000 in Attendance
An estimated 150,000 people gathered in Tel Aviv for the biggest anti-government rally since the Gaza war began, organized by the anti-government protest organization Hofshi Israel. Protesters waved Israeli flags and chanted slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, demanding new elections and the release of captives held in Gaza.
Signs reading “Crime Minister” and “Stop the War” filled the streets as demonstrators voiced their frustration over Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza, accusing the right-wing coalition of prolonging the conflict. Former head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, Yuval Diskin, labeled Netanyahu as the country’s “worst prime minister” in his address to the crowd.
Some protesters made a statement by lying on the ground covered in red paint at Democracy Square to symbolize the death of democracy under Netanyahu’s leadership. The sentiments echoed throughout the rally were of a call for urgent elections to ensure a democratic future for Israel.