Members of the “Comrades in Arms” reservist protest group wave Israeli flags during a demonstration in Mea Shearim, an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 31, 2024, demanding equality in Israeli military service.
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Members of the “Comrades in Arms” reservist protest group wave Israeli flags during a demonstration in Mea Shearim, an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 31, 2024, demanding equality in Israeli military service.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
JERUSALEM — Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in central Jerusalem on Sunday in the largest anti-government protest since the start of the war in October. Demonstrators called on the government to reach a cease-fire agreement to release dozens of hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza and to hold early elections.
Immediately after October 7, when Hamas killed around 1,200 people and took 250 hostages in a cross-border attack, Israeli society broadly united. The nearly six-month civil war has renewed rifts over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, but the country remains largely supportive of the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas and bring all the hostages home, but he has not achieved that goal. Although Hamas suffered heavy losses, it remains unscathed.
About half of the hostages in Gaza were released during a week-long ceasefire in November. However, attempts by international mediators to return the remaining hostages failed. Talks resumed on Sunday, but there were no signs that a breakthrough was imminent.
Families of the hostages believe time is running out and are increasingly vocal about their frustrations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Boaz Atsiri, whose cousin Aviv Atsiri and Riat's wife were kidnapped on October 7, said: “I believe none of the hostages will return because the government is busy negotiating for them.'' ” he said. Riat was released, but Aviv was killed and his body is in Gaza. “Prime Minister Netanyahu is only working for his personal interests.”
People take part in a protest against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the militant Hamas group outside the parliament building in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 31, 2024.
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People take part in a protest against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the militant Hamas group outside the parliament building in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 31, 2024.
Leo Correa/AP
Protesters have many grievances
Demonstrators blame Netanyahu for the Oct. 7 failure, arguing that deep political divisions over his attempts to reform the judiciary last year weakened Israel ahead of the attack. . Some have accused him of damaging relations with the United States, Israel's most important ally.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also faces a series of corruption charges that are slowly making their way through the courts, and critics say his decisions appear to be focused on political survival rather than national interest. are doing. Opinion polls show Prime Minister Netanyahu and his coalition trailing far behind their rivals if elections were held today.
Unless the coalition collapses sooner, Prime Minister Netanyahu will face elections until spring 2026.
Many of the hostages' families had refrained from publicly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid antagonizing the leadership and politicizing their plight. But as their anger grows, some want to change course, and they played a major role in Sunday's anti-government protests.
Crowds on Sunday spread to blocks around the Knesset, and organizers vowed to continue the demonstrations for several days. They called on the government to hold new elections almost two years ahead of schedule. Thousands of people also demonstrated on Sunday in Tel Aviv, where there had been large protests the night before.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a nationally televised speech before undergoing hernia surgery late Sunday that he understood the family's pain. But he said holding new elections (which he described as close to victory) would paralyze Israel for six to eight months and stall hostage negotiations. For now, Prime Minister Netanyahu's ruling coalition appears to remain firmly intact.
Some hostage families agree that now is not the time for an election.
Sheri Shem Tov, whose son Omer was abducted from a music festival, told Israel's Channel 12: “I don't think changing the prime minister now will move forward and help my son return home.” “I'm going to vote now.'' It will simply put aside the most pressing issue of returning the hostages. ”
In a speech on Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his vow to launch a ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than half of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million people are currently sheltering after fleeing fighting elsewhere. “There is no victory unless we enter Rafah,” he said, adding that he would not be deterred by US pressure. The Israeli military said a Hamas battalion remained on the ground.
In another reminder of Israel's division, a group of reservists and retired officers demonstrated in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood.
For generations, ultra-Orthodox men have been exempt from military service, which is mandatory for most Jewish men and women. This resentment deepened during the war. Netanyahu's government has been ordered to submit a new plan for a fairer bill by Monday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who relies heavily on support from ultra-Orthodox parties, asked for an extension last week.
The Bank of Israel said in its annual report on Sunday that there could be economic damage if large numbers of ultra-Orthodox men continue to disobey the Israeli military.
Israeli airstrike hits hospital tent camp
Also on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike struck a tent camp in the courtyard of a crowded hospital in central Gaza, killing two Palestinians and wounding 15 others, including journalists working nearby.
An Associated Press reporter filmed the strike and its aftermath at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, where thousands of people have been evacuated. The Israeli military said it had attacked the headquarters of an Islamic Jihad militant group.
Palestinians carry wounded people following an Israeli airstrike near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, March 31, 2024.
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Palestinians carry wounded people following an Israeli airstrike near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, March 31, 2024.
Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
Tens of thousands of people have taken refuge in Gaza hospitals, considered relatively safe from airstrikes. Israel has accused Hamas and other armed groups of operating in and around medical facilities, a charge denied by Gaza health authorities.
Israeli forces say they have attacked Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest hospital, for nearly two weeks, killing scores of militants, including senior Hamas operatives. The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 100 patients were left without drinking water and with purulent wounds, and doctors were using plastic bags for gloves.
Dozens of members of Gaza's small Palestinian Christian community gathered at the Church of the Holy Family, a stone's throw from Gaza City's Shifa Hospital, to celebrate Easter as incense wafted through the unusual building, which appears to have been untouched by war.
“We're all here grieving,” attendee Winnie Taraji said. Approximately 600 people are evacuated to the site.
An aircraft airdrops humanitarian aid into the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, March 31, 2024.
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An aircraft airdrops humanitarian aid into the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, March 31, 2024.
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Death toll approaches 33,000 in Gaza as hunger spreads
The United Nations and partners have warned that famine could break out in the devastated and largely isolated north of Gaza. Humanitarian officials argue that sea and air support is not enough and that Israel needs to allow more ground assistance. Egypt said thousands of trucks were on standby.
Israel says it has no restrictions on the provision of humanitarian aid. It blames the United Nations and other international organizations for failing to distribute more aid.
The Gaza Health Ministry announced Sunday that at least 32,782 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war. The ministry's tally does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it says about two-thirds of the deaths were women and children.
Israel says more than a third of the dead were extremists, but provides no evidence. Hamas blames civilian casualties because it operates in residential areas.
Lebanese state media reported that an Israeli drone crashed into a car in the southern Lebanese town of Konin, amid concerns about the conflict escalating in the region.
A Lebanese security official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations that Hezbollah militant Ismail al-Zain was killed. The Israeli military called al-Zain a “key commander.” Hezbollah confirmed his death.
A Palestinian assailant stabbed and seriously injured three people in southern Israel late Sunday, the Hatzalah rescue team said. Police said the suspect had been shot, but did not provide further details on his condition.
