Thousands Protest Anti-Netanyahu in Jerusalem; Relative Calm in Gaza
On Monday evening, thousands of Israelis gathered to demand early elections, criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza conflict and his failure to repatriate “dozens” of hostages still held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, reports emerged from witnesses in the Palestinian territory of Israeli airstrikes during the night, albeit in a relatively calmer context following a humanitarian pause observed by the army in a southern sector.
This ceasefire, coinciding with the commencement of Eid al-Adha, a Muslim festival, is theoretically aimed at facilitating the delivery of much-needed aid to the Gaza population.
In an uncommon occurrence during over eight months of bloody conflict, thousands of Israelis demonstrated near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence and the Knesset in Jerusalem on Monday evening. “I am glad to see people have mobilized. And I hope it continues. We need to lay siege on Jerusalem, on the Knesset. We must paralyze the country to bring down the government,” stated Yaacov Godo, whose son Tom was killed by Hamas on October 7.
This demonstration comes approximately a week after the resignation of the war cabinet of centrist leaders Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, two former army chiefs, resulting in the dissolution of the body established after the October 7 attack.
Despite the departure of these opposition figures, who had joined the government in unity following Hamas attacks, Benjamin Netanyahu and his conservative allies maintain their majority in the Knesset.
“Each of Netanyahu’s actions leads towards the destruction of Israel. He is accountable for what happened on October 7,” accused 73-year-old retired engineer Moshe Sandarovich.
On that day, Islamist commandos infiltrated southern Israel from Gaza, carrying out an unprecedented attack that resulted in the death of 1,194 individuals, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli data reported by AFP.
Of the 251 individuals abducted, 116 are still held captive in Gaza, with 41 confirmed deaths, as per the military.
A senior Israeli official engaged in negotiations informed AFP that Israel had confirmed the survival of “dozens” of hostages held in Gaza. “We cannot leave them there for long; they will perish,” added the official under anonymity due to not being authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
In response to the October 7 attack, the Israeli military launched an offensive in Gaza, causing 37,347 deaths, predominantly civilians, according to data from the Gaza government Health Ministry led by the Islamist group.
Some protestors at the demonstration carried placards calling for new elections and urged for a ceasefire to ensure the safe return of the remaining hostages.
“All of them! Now!” chanted demonstrators, some wearing t-shirts bearing slogans such as “Stop the war” and “We are all equal.”
In Gaza, the army announced a halt from “08:00 to 19:00” (05:00 to 16:00 GMT) until further notice along a stretch of road approximately ten kilometers long, extending from the Israeli Kerem Shalom crossing point in the south of the territory to the European Hospital in Rafah slightly further north.
Kerem Shalom has become the sole entry point for humanitarian aid in the south of Gaza since the army launched its offensive in Rafah and seized control of the border crossing with Egypt.
The UN praised the Israeli announcement but called for this pause to lead to concrete measures that facilitate deliveries, reiterating the need for the removal of all obstacles to aid distribution given the population’s somber mood amidst ongoing hostilities.
“We are not in the mood for Eid. Eid is when we return home, when the war ends. When there is a martyr every day, it’s not Eid,” remarked Amer Ajour, a displaced individual in Deir el-Balah city.
Along the Israel-Lebanon border, where exchanges of fire have been almost daily since October, Hezbollah attacks intensified following the Israeli strike that resulted in the death of one of its key commanders, Taleb Sami Abdallah, last week.
“The risk of miscalculations leading to a sudden and wider conflict is very real,” cautioned the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and the head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Aroldo Lazaro.
On Monday, the Israeli military announced the killing of another significant Hezbollah member, Mohammad Mustafa Ayoub, allegedly responsible for rocket and missile attacks in the southern Lebanese region of Selaa. Hezbollah confirmed the fighter’s death.
Special envoy of US President Joe Biden, Amos Hochstein, arrived in Jerusalem on Monday to exert pressure for de-escalation with Lebanon as tensions remain high in the region.