According to the report by The Israeli Times, large-scale protest assemblies against the Netanyahu government have been taking place in many parts of Israel for several days. On August 17th, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu launched an attack on the protest assemblies, and his remarks immediately triggered the anger of the families of the detained personnel in the Gaza issue. They accused Netanyahu of deceiving the public.
On August 17th, demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv to hold protest assemblies against the Netanyahu government. Image from Israeli media
On the 8th, Israel’s security cabinet approved Netanyahu’s plan of “defeating Hamas”, and the Israeli army was preparing to “take over” the Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip. This plan has also triggered opposition and condemnation both at home and abroad in Israel, and it was also the fuse for the large-scale protest assemblies.
The report said that the Israeli group that launched the protest assemblies, “Forum for Hostages and Families of Missing Persons”, stated that nearly 500,000 people participated in the protest demonstration in Tel Aviv on August 17th. The organization also estimated that about 1 million people participated in dozens of protests across Israel on that day. Demonstrators in many parts of Israel blocked roads, burned tires, and some protesters clashed with police. The protesters called on the Netanyahu government to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas and release all detained personnel to end the war.
Demonstrators in many parts of Israel blocked roads and burned tires on August 17th.
In response to the large-scale protest assemblies across Israel, Netanyahu stated on August 17th that “those who call for ending the war without defeating Hamas today not only strengthen Hamas’s position, impede the release of hostages, but also allow the attack on October 7th to repeat.” Netanyahu also said he was still “determined to implement” the decision of the security cabinet earlier and required the Israeli Defense Forces to “take over” Gaza City.
The Israeli Times said that Netanyahu’s remarks triggered the anger of the families of the detained personnel, who accused him of lying to the public. “Forum for Hostages and Families of Missing Persons” stated in a statement that “Netanyahu, during your term, hostages have been detained in the Gaza Strip for 22 months. Instead of deceiving the public, spreading false information and defaming the families of hostages, it would be better to bring our relatives home through an agreement and end the war.”