Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night to protest against the dismissal of Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and to demand that his successor, Israel Katz, prioritise securing a deal for the return of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.
Chanting slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, the demonstrators gathered shortly after Mr Gallant’s removal was announced.
Israeli police reported that forces were deployed to “maintain public order.”
Protesters blocked traffic on the Ayalon Highway, which crosses the coastal metropolis, with some wearing shirts reading “Bring them back home now,” referring to the 97 Israeli hostages believed to remain in the hands of Palestinian militant groups in Gaza, of whom 34 have been declared dead by the Israeli military.
They held signs with slogans like “We deserve better leaders” and chanted for Mr Netanyahu to resign or called him a “traitor.”
“Gallant was the only normal person in the government,” commented Samuel Miller, a 54-year-old teacher, criticising the Netanyahu government for opening “new fronts” and waging “unjustified wars.” The prime minister “is doing nothing to maintain peace for us, for the Palestinians, and for all other countries in the region,” he added.
The government has done “absolutely nothing to free the hostages” in Gaza, he further argued.
The prime minister “failed in the duty we entrusted to him,” said Einav Tchangkawker, whose son Matan is held hostage in the Palestinian enclave.
He has “abandoned” the hostages, she accused, criticising Mr Netanyahu for “deliberately endangering Israel’s security” and dismissing Mr Gallant “because of a personal disagreement” over how to “continue the war” in Gaza.
“Bibi would rather sacrifice my son,” she told Israel’s Channel 12, using the prime minister’s nickname.
A protest was also held in Jerusalem, in front of Mr Netanyahu’s residence. Police reported three arrests.
“We expect the new Defence Minister (…) to prioritise an agreement for the hostages,” said the Families Forum, the main organisation of relatives of those abducted on 7 October 2023.
Despite the turmoil, Gallant took to X to state: “the security of the State of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life”. This post was made as Israel continued its military operations in Gaza against Hamas and in Lebanon against the Hezbollah group.
Edited and translated from: ANA-MPA
