Tel Aviv [Israel], April 1 : Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and more attempts to release captives held in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.
After demonstrating in front of the Israeli parliament on Sunday night, where they lit fires and waved the flag, protesters closed a major municipal route.
They assert that this was the largest demonstration since the start of the Gaza War in October.
Protesters yelled Netanyahu "must go," and police responded by using water cannons against the crowd, jostling and pushing them back.
The prime minister has been under increasing pressure as opponents of his right-wing government have united with the families of the roughly one hundred hostages that Hamas in Gaza still holds.
In an effort to pressure the government to "bring them home," the families have promised to camp out on the streets every night this week. Many demonstrators brandished signs that showed Netanyahu's face daubed in blood, criticising him for not doing enough to keep the nation safe from Hamas, according to Al Jazeera.
Months of demonstrations against Netanyahu over divisive judicial reforms had occurred even prior to Israel's war on Gaza.
On October 7, Hamas took approximately 250 prisoners, of whom Israel estimates that 130 are still in Gaza, 33 of whom are thought to be dead, as per Al Jazeera.
The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.
Israel has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas' infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimise civilian casualties.
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