Tel Aviv has been on fire with protests against Netanyahu, asking for a deal and hostage release.
Police dispersed protestors with wastewater hoses.
The ONLY democracy in the Middle East folks…not even allowing protests. pic.twitter.com/t5zilcEkNN
— Khalissee (@Kahlissee) May 25, 2024
BREAKING: 🇮🇱 Huge protest at the moment in Tel Aviv against Netyanahu pic.twitter.com/4Pwz6Ur9Pr
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) May 25, 2024
Israelis who want Netanyahu and the government to resign took to the streets again in Tel Aviv pic.twitter.com/1IezP9BINc
— S p r i n t e r F a c t o r y (@Sprinterfactory) May 26, 2024
It’s important to continue to point out that while the friends and family members of the hostages are really aggressively demanding that Bibi stop the war and bring back their loved ones, this is not a big movement.
No one who is not directly affected by the hostage situation is against the war. Bibi has huge support and even people who don’t support Bibi support the war.
Scuffles between Israeli police and protesters have erupted in Tel Aviv after thousands gathered to demonstrate against the government and demand that it bring back the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Meanwhile, a small US military vessel and what appeared to be a strip of docking area washed up on a beach near the southern Israeli city of Ashdod on Saturday, not far from the US-built pier on which the Israeli military said humanitarian aid is moving into the Palestinian territory.
Some protesters in Tel Aviv carried photos of the female soldiers who appeared in a video earlier in the week showing them soon after they were abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October. Some held banners reading, Stop the war and Help. They called on the government to reach a deal to release the dozens of hostages still in captivity.
The protesters also called for the resignation of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded new elections.
“We all saw the video, we could not stay at home after the government abandoned all these people,” said Hilit Sagi, from the group Women Protest for the Return of All Hostages.
Seven people were arrested at the protest late Saturday and at least one person was injured, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. Protests also took place elsewhere around the country, including in the port city of Haifa, the paper wrote.
Some people are framing these protests as if there are large numbers of Israelis against the war. This just simply is not true.
Obviously, the people whose friends and family are hostages want Bibi to get those people back. But that’s basically it. Even “left” or “liberal” Israelis support the war.
Breaking 🇮🇱
“Thousands demonstrate near Kaplan intersection in Tel Aviv to demand an urgent prisoner exchange deal.” pic.twitter.com/rCcAE6aSwb
— nooriihehe (@noorhopes) May 25, 2024