Israeli police pushed back protesters demonstrating outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence on Saturday, amid intense anger over the failures that led to the attack launched by Hamas militants last month on Israeli cities around the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of people waved the Israeli flag and chanted “Jail now!” Before they stormed the police barriers around Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem.
This protest highlights growing public anger at political and security leaders, and coincided with an opinion poll that showed more than three-quarters of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign.
Netanyahu has yet to acknowledge personal responsibility for the failures that enabled the surprise attack launched by hundreds of Hamas militants in southern Israel on October 7, which led to the killing of more than 1,400 people and the capture of at least 240 hostages.
As the effects of the initial shock faded, public anger grew as many families of hostages held in Gaza strongly criticized the government’s response and called for the release of their loved ones.
Thousands of people also demonstrated in Tel Aviv, waving flags and holding up images of some prisoners in Gaza and banners with slogans such as “Release the hostages now, at any cost”.
Ofri Bibas Levy, whose brother, four-year-old son Ariel and 10-month-old son Kfir are held by Hamas, told Reuters she had come to show support for her family.
“We don’t know where they are, we don’t know what their conditions of detention are. I don’t know if Kfir gets food, I don’t know if Ariel gets enough food. He’s a very young child,” he added.
Since then, Israel has continued an intense air and ground attack on Gaza, with health authorities saying at least 9,488 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks so far. Vast areas of the Hamas-run Strip have been reduced to rubble.
Netanyahu is a controversial figure even before the war, as he was on trial for corruption charges that he denies, and he also put forward a plan to limit the powers of the judiciary, which prompted hundreds of thousands of people to take to the streets in protest.
An opinion poll conducted Saturday by Israeli television Channel 13 showed that 76 percent of Israelis believe Netanyahu should step down, while 64 percent believe elections should be held immediately after the war.
When asked who was primarily responsible for the Hamas attack, 44 percent of respondents held Netanyahu responsible, while 33 percent held the Israeli army chief of staff and senior army officers responsible, and the 5% blamed the Defense Minister.