Occupied Jerusalem/Tel Aviv: Hundreds of Israelis are protesting outside Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence, and in Tel Aviv, Occupied Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israel since Saturday November 04, 2023 accusing him of being incapable of handling the present situation and failing to release hostages in Hamas custody.
Netanyahu, who is leading a far-right Zionist government in Israel, is facing public anger since more than a year. But, protests against him surged after October 07 Hamas attack and intensified Saturday November 04, 2023 after the Palestinian Resistance Group said as many as 60 hostages have been killed in Israeli bombing on Gaza Strip.
“Some 60 Israeli hostages have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7”, Hamas’s armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, said Saturday.
The spokesman of Al-Qassam Brigade, Abu Obeida, said after search operations, "still there are 23 bodies (of hostages) lost under the rubble”, according to news agency Anadolu.
"It seems we won't be able to reach them due to the ongoing brutal aggression by the occupation on Gaza," Abu Obeida added.
Hamas had earlier said it has in its custody 200-250 hostages whereas Israeli officials have confirmed 242 people are being held by Hamas as hostages.
Hamas had last week announced that all the hostages will be released if the Zionist regime in Israel is ready to free more than 8,000 Palestinians who are languishing in the Israeli jails.
Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the offer even as the relatives of the hostages had called upon his government to release all Palestinians in the Israeli jails in exchange of the hostages.
The protesters – including the relatives of the captives, are accusing Netanyahu of mishandling the hostage crisis also accusing him of risking the lives of those in the custody of the Palestinian Resistance Group.
Holding up posters with pictures of the hostages, the Israeli protesters Saturday gathered outside Netanyahu's official residence in Tel Aviv and demanded his resignation, local media reported.
Protestors waved blue and white Israeli flags and raised the slogans, "Jail now!", a large crowd in hundreds pushed through police barriers as police tried to hold them back at Netanyahu's residence in Occupied Jerusalem.
NOW Live: In front of Netanyahu's residence!The Israeli people said, "We now know that you are a murderer, BIBI, murderer BIBI, resign."Note: BIBI is dedicated to Netanyahu pic.twitter.com/sqmK682TMc— David Niño Rodriguez (@ninoboxer) November 5, 2023
NOW Live: In front of Netanyahu's residence!The Israeli people said, "We now know that you are a murderer, BIBI, murderer BIBI, resign."Note: BIBI is dedicated to Netanyahu pic.twitter.com/sqmK682TMc
Thousands of protestors demonstrated in Tel Aviv, waved flags and held photographs of some of the captives in Gaza. They also raised slogans like "Release the hostages now at all costs" and brought with them posters delivering the same message while crowds chanted, “bring them home now", according to Reuters.
"We now know that you are a murderer, BIBI, murderer BIBI, resign", the protesters said using Netanyahu's pet name "Bibi".
“Immediate dismissal", some other protesters outside Netanyahu's official residence shouted demanding the Israeli Prime Minister's immediate resignation.
“Destitution immédiate”Devant la résidence de Netanyahu, des milliers de manifestants israéliens réclament sa destitution.pic.twitter.com/qNlT30ef40— Claude El Khal (@claudeelkhal) November 4, 2023
“Destitution immédiate”Devant la résidence de Netanyahu, des milliers de manifestants israéliens réclament sa destitution.pic.twitter.com/qNlT30ef40
Clashes between protesters and security forces also erupted outside Netanyahu’s home as they tried to use force to remove the protesters demanding his dismissal.
Security forces have also arrested some protesters, according to the local media reports.
Israeli security forces scuffle with protestors, who demand Netanyahu’s resignation immediately and ask the return of hostages, in Jerusalem outside the Netanyahu’s residence Some shout “Bibi is murderer” pic.twitter.com/64VWINMQO7— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) November 4, 2023
Israeli security forces scuffle with protestors, who demand Netanyahu’s resignation immediately and ask the return of hostages, in Jerusalem outside the Netanyahu’s residence Some shout “Bibi is murderer” pic.twitter.com/64VWINMQO7
Protest rallies calling for Netanyahu’s resignation were also held at other places of Israel, including Pardes Hanna-Karkur and Beersheba.
In Caesarea, where Netanyahu has a private residence, police said they had to separate demonstrators from a small group of counter-protesters, including a woman who accused them of “being Hamas’s representatives", according to The Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, the death toll in gaza Strip has jumped to 9,488 since Oct 7 when Israel started relentless bombing of residential areas, schools, mosques, churches, hospital and refugee camps.
Besides 60 hostages, medical staff, journalists, aid workers associated with the United Nations, Red Cross and other humanitarian groups, among those killed in Israeli bombgings of Gaza, described by scholars and world leaders as massacre and ethnic cleansing, of Palestinians, more than 70% are women and children.
As many as 152 Palestinians have also been killed since Oct 7 in Occupied West Bank where Hamas has no or negligible presence.
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