The people of Israel demonstrated again this morning across the country with demands that the authorities as soon as possible achieve the release of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip and the holding of early elections, Reuters and TASS reported, citing local media, BTA reports.
The Israeli media note that today marks exactly nine months since the attack by the Palestinian extremist movement “Hamas” against Israel, which caused the current crisis in the Middle East.
Protests are taking place in 30 locations across the country. At 6:29 a.m. (Bulgarian time), just as the sirens warning of rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave began to sound on October 7, 2023, and the Palestinian fighters' invasion of Israel began, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the homes of 18 Israeli ministers and MPs, including Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Interior Minister Israel Katz.
"A complete failure! Total failure!'' chanted a small crowd outside the house of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a member of Netanyahu's inner circle.
Demonstrators also blocked rush hour traffic at major intersections across the country. They briefly set tires on fire on the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway before police cleared the way.
The disaffected demanded active action to free the hostages. In addition, they gathered outside the home of the head of the Israeli trade union confederation "Histadrut", demanding that he declare a general strike demanding that elections be held as soon as possible.
At Kibbutz Or Haner, near the Gaza border, protesters hung a black balloon for each person killed in the attack and a yellow balloon for each hostage taken.
Newspaper "Times of Israel“ reports that mass protests are planned for tonight in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Last night, thousands of Israelis protested again with the same demands. The largest demonstration, as usual, gathered in Tel Aviv near the government complex in the eastern part of the city.
Rallys in support of the hostages have been held in Israel continuously since October 2023. The most massive took place on Saturday evening in Tel Aviv, but protest actions were also organized in other cities of the country.
Efforts to reach a hostage deal between Israel and "Hamas" have gathered momentum in recent days, with officials expressing optimism but saying there are still differences in positions, Reuters noted.
According to Gaza health authorities, more than 38,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the offensive launched in response to the actions of "Hamas" in southern Israel, where 1,200 people were killed and over 250 people were taken hostage.