Massive protests in Tel Aviv demanding Netanyahu’s resignation

Hundreds of people gathered on a main thoroughfare in Qaysariya near the private residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, carrying signs and chanting slogans demanding his resignation.

The protest, which took place on Saturday night, was one of several marches in recent weeks. One of the protesters, a local resident of Qaysariya named Hanna Zeisel, told “Times of Israel” that the protests aim to increase pressure on Netanyahu until he calls for new elections.

Amos Malka, the former head of the Israeli military’s intelligence directorate, accused Netanyahu of abandoning the prisoners held by Hamas in Gaza.

Malka stated, “If families knew how small the gap is that Netanyahu refuses to bridge in negotiations with Hamas, they would explode. This is another proof of his incompetence.”

In his interview with “Times of Israel,” Malka, the leader of the protest movement against Netanyahu’s government, explained that the failures preceding October 7 are shared by many within the defense community and the government institution. However, since then, it is Netanyahu’s responsibility. Protesters also gathered outside the Ministry of Defense, known as “Kirya,” in Tel Aviv to protest against Netanyahu’s government for various reasons. The main message of the demonstration on Kaplan Street, outside the Sarona shopping center, was to hold early elections, dismiss the current government, and remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Near the protest, a group of veterans from the Israel Defense Forces from the 1973 war stood by a model tank calling for an end to exemptions from military service enjoyed by students from extremist religious schools.

At the entrance to Kirya on Begin Street, a demonstration was organized by the Brothers and Sisters in Arms, a reserve group that was among the leaders of last year’s protests against judicial reform, demanding the release of prisoners held by Hamas.

According to Israeli media, there is a significant police presence throughout the area. The police have fortified large sections of Begin and Kaplan Streets, as well as some exits leading to the Ayalon Highway, to prevent protesters from blocking the road, as they have done every week.