 "People rally to protest against the government and to show support for the hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters")
Thousands and thousands of people have taken to the streets of Israel in rage over the deaths of six captives in Gaza, after the country’s military recovered their bodies on Sunday, nearly 11 months after they were taken by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups during the October 7 attacks.
They gathered outside the homes of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US embassy, venting their ire at Netanyahu whom they blame for the failure to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Hadas-Nahor, a 34-year-old human resources manager who was participating in the protest in Tel Aviv, told AFP: “I really hope this makes a difference, otherwise I don’t know how I can live in this country and raise my children here.”
The anger was such that a general strike was called on Monday by the Histadrut trade union. The strike — the first since October 7 last year — brought the country to an economic standstill for a few hours before a labour court ordered workers to return to their jobs.
Many believe that the protests will be a turning point for Israel. They believe it has challenged Netanyahu’s hold on power within Israel. However, the true impact of the strike and demonstrations, according to experts, will only be known in the days to come.
But many are now asking: Is this the end for Netanyahu or will he be able to weather this storm?
Striked out
A day after the bodies of six hostages , including Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were recovered in an underground tunnel in Gaza, tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in one of the biggest nationwide protests since the outbreak of Israel’s war on Hamas.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsFrom Tel Aviv to the southern Israeli city of Eilat — protests broke out everywhere with people chanting, “You are the leader - you are guilty!”
CNN reports that in Tel Aviv, a group of protesters stood behind a mock cemetery while holding signs saying “named after Benjamin Netanyahu,” as they cast blame on the prime minister for the deaths of the hostages.
A general strike called by the country’s largest labour union saw Ben Gurion international airport halting departures, while universities, shopping malls and ports were shuttered. Like Tel Aviv, the northern coastal city of Haifa also heeded the strike calls.
The protests, which continued until the evening, led to the police hurling grenades at protesters blocking the Ayalon highway and firing foam at the demonstrators from water cannons. Reports stated that police arrested 29 people in Tel Aviv, accusing them of vandalism, disorderly conduct and attacking officers.
Protesters who had gathered said that they were there to make their voices heard and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign. In Jerusalem, Eden Kramer told CNN that she was demonstrating for her child’s future. “We hope everyone will come out today to bring a message to the government: We can’t keep up like this anymore,” she said.
Barak Hadurian, a 56-year-old software engineer from Tel Aviv, said, “We want elections”, but “first and foremost” the government “to sign an agreement to release the hostages and cease this war that is terrible for both sides”.
A defiant Netanyahu
However, Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to remain defiant and steadfast in his goal of ending Hamas. Brushing aside pleas from protesters as well as leaders in his Cabinet, Netanyahu has vowed to maintain Israeli control along the border between Egypt and Gaza.
In a press conference, Netanyahu told reporters that to ensure its security, Israel needed to assert control over the Gazan side of the border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, calling it the lifeline of Hamas. “If we leave, there will be enormous diplomatic pressure upon us from the whole world not to return,” Netanyahu said of the corridor.
He added that Hamas had “executed” the six hostages, shooting them “in the back of the head”. “These murderers executed six of our hostages, they shot them in the back of the head,” he said, rejecting the notion that Israel should respond with “concessions” in Gaza ceasefire talks.
He, however, sought forgiveness for not being able to save them but also appealed for unity. He further called on the international community to apply more pressure on Hamas to end the war, which began after the horrific October 7 attacks last year.
Responding to US President Joe Biden’s claim that he wasn’t doing enough to secure the release of the hostages, Netanyahu told the news conference, “No one is more committed than me to the release of the hostages. No one can lecture me on this.”
Opposition grows against Netanyahu
Netanyahu’s decision to dig his heels deeper into this war has opened him up to major criticism and scrutiny. Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, has slammed the prime minister. “Not one professional buys this spin. Not the security personnel, not the international system, not the fighters who are actually in Gaza and know the reality there,” Lapid said, according to the Times of Israel.
Even within his own Cabinet, deep divisions are emerging over Netanyahu’s decision-making amid the war. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reprimanded the Israeli government for what he said was prioritising control of the corridor over a deal to free hostages, calling it a “moral disgrace.”
Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli ambassador and government adviser, told Al Jazeera, “Netanyahu absolutely has no interest in a hostage deal or ceasefire and it’s been clear. “Those who are shocked and devastated and angered about what happened should not be surprised because this is exactly what the defence minister and all of us were warning would happen. His and only his reluctance to engage in a deal is what made all this happen.”
Even support for Netanyahu has been waning. Last Friday, a Channel12 survey revealed that a large majority of Israelis believe this should be Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s last term and that he shouldn’t run in the next elections. A whopping 69 per cent of respondents said Netanyahu should resign when elections are next held as opposed to only 22 per cent who believed he should run for prime minister.
Analysts, however, believe that no matter the pressure, Netanyahu won’t budge. That’s because it could torpedo his government. His far-right extremist coalition partners might walk. Moreover, as Sky News reports, he is worried about his legacy and clings to the hope he can still claw victory from the quagmire in Gaza.
Experts note that Netanyahu will do what he always does: double down. As Elia Ayoub, a postdoctoral researcher, writer and host of the Fire These Times podcast, told Al Jazeera, “He has everything to lose if he concedes.”
With inputs from agencies