Hundreds of thousands of Israelis gathered Saturday evening, Sep 7, throughout the country, against the far-right government and calling to reach a hostage release deal for the eighth night in a row. A wave of mass protests was sparked on Sunday after the bodies of six hostages were recovered from the Gaza Strip. Simultaneous protests were held in Haifa, Jerusalem, Rehovot, Rishon LeZion, Beersheva, Raanana Junction, Kfar Sava, Nahariya, Kiryat Gat, Karkur Junction, Caesarea, Hod Hasharon, Haogen Junction, Ashdod and dozens of locations across the country, with organizers claiming tens of thousands in some places.
Following the speeches in the central protest in Tel-Aviv, in front the army headquarters in Begin Road, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets, with some, along with the families of hostages, lighting bonfires. The protest was part of a coordinated effort by various organizations that united after the discovery of six hostages’ bodies earlier this week, bringing together groups that had previously held separate events over the past 11 months. As with previous protests, the demonstration in Tel Aviv was marked by scuffles with police and activists who blocked major roads, including the Ayalon freeway as well as the junction of Namir and Pinkas streets. Officers who dragged six detainees toward the nearby Azrieli Towers were frequently followed by angry protesters chanting: “Officer! Officer! Whom are you protecting?”
Police violence as protesters block Freud Road in Haifa during a march against far-right government and calling for the release of Israelis held by Hamas in Gaza, September 7, 2024 (Photo: Flash90)
Liora Vogel, 18, who was arrested at a protest in Tel Aviv on Sunday, told the “Block against occupation” activists at Kaplan Street, among them Hadash MK Ofer Cassif that “cops grabbed me by the arms and legs and beaten me.” Vogel said she and other 17 protesters were detained for 24 hours until they were brought before a judge.
Police arrested over 100 protesters during the past week, amid an uptick in demonstrations calling for a hostage deal, the Detainee Support Organization said Friday. The group, which also provides legal representation to people arrested at anti-government protests, said courts have denied all 56 requests lodged by the police to extend protesters’ detentions. Haaretz said five protesters were put under house arrest. The Ynet news site said police arrested 110 protesters over the past week, 75 of them in Tel Aviv.
The judge reportedly criticized the police for failing to bring significant evidence against any of the protesters and neglecting to bring any evidence at all against one of them. The arrests were accompanied by an escalation in violent police tactics at the protests.
Protest organizers estimated that 500,000 people attended the flagship rally in Tel Aviv, organized by the protests’ organizations and the Hostage Families Forum — an estimate they claimed was confirmed by police. They said another 250,000 demonstrated in other areas around the country. The Tel Aviv rally marked the largest-ever demonstration in Israel’s history.
Earlier in Tel-Aviv and in two separate statements, Einav Zangauker calls on the public to take to the streets, to pressure the government to close a deal to free her son Matan Zangauker and the other 96 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7. She calls far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “Mr. Death,” says he is acting as “a criminal against his people,” and claims the only way to attain a hostage deal is to oust him. In a second statement, as people begin to gather for tonight’s rallies, Zangauker calls on the public and members of the coalition to push for Netanyahu’s ouster to save the hostages and the country. She says Netanyahu’s focus on keeping the occupation army at Philadelphi is “spin” and that he is cold-bloodedly sabotaging a deal.
More military pressure in Gaza will only kill the hostages, she says, and charges that the prime minister is “prepared for the hostages to be killed in captivity.” “Netanyahu’s hands are covered with the blood” of the hostages murdered by Hamas. “They could have been saved in all the deals he sabotaged… The remaining hostages can still be saved. So long as Netanyahu is in power, we will continue to get hostages in body bags,” she claims. “Netanyahu must be ousted to save the hostages and the entire state.” “My friends, we are in a time of crisis. Netanyahu has decided to give up the hostages and bury my Matan in the tunnels, on the altar of his political survival,” she says in an initial video statement.
Police in Haifa, where thousands demonstrated for a deal, were accused of using excessive force as they cleared activists blocking Freud Road, with video showing protesters being thrown into a barbed wire placed near the road. At least two protesters reportedly sought medical attention at the nearby Carmel Hospital due to injuries allegedly caused by police.
In Caesarea, anti-government protesters gathered near one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residences, calling for his ouster. In Jerusalem, demonstrators gathered outside the prime minister’s residence in the capital, carrying yellow flags representing the movement for the release of the hostages. Chanting “the regime’s lies won’t bring about security,” protesters in Jerusalem called for an end to the war, the downfall of the government, and another general strike to build working class pressure for a deal.
In Nahariya, in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon, hundreds of protesters gathered for the hostage deal. Among them: Yehuda Beinin, whose daughter, Liat Atzili, was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 and released on November 29. Speaking at the rally, Beinin, who talked to US President Joe Biden after his daughter was released from Hamas captivity, says, “It’s not the Americans’ job to change the government in Israel, it’s our job.”
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32099
