About 2,000 demonstrators demonstrated amid heavy rain in Tel Aviv on Saturday night in rare anti-government demonstrations since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Later, several demonstrators marched to a nearby rally in support of hostages being held by Hamas.
For two months, protesters at weekly rallies in support of the hostages have tried to stay away from politics because many relatives of hostages feel as if they have to balance working with the government and pressuring it to return their loved ones to their homeland.
But with renewed anti-government protests, politics began to seep into the arena.
Since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, anti-government sentiment, once common, has largely disappeared from the streets. Organizers halted powerful protests against judicial reforms implemented by the far-right government that have consumed Israel for months.
Now, as the war approaches its third month, some demonstrators said they felt the need to resume their protests against the government. The atmosphere at the anti-government protest on Saturday night was filled with anger as people chanted “shame” and booed any mention of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“At first we tried to be polite, but we understood that we couldn't wait any longer,” said Guy Ziov, 56, a protester from Ramat Gan. He added: “Bibi must go,” referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.
Later, during the hostage rally, the protesters were calmer, but there was still an undercurrent of anger. Sharon Aloni Kunio, the returned hostage, condemned the government for not doing more to return the remaining captives, including her husband, David.
“In the past few weeks, the government has not presented any initiative of its own,” she said. “Instead, almost every day, nothing but bad news about dead bodies comes out of Gaza.” In recent weeks, the Israeli army said it had mistakenly killed three of the hostages.
However, many protesters said they were concerned about the politicization of the hostage crisis.
“In a parallel universe, I would have participated in the other protest,” Dina Walker, 27, said during the hostage rally. “I think it's important to show support and make sure people go home. Then we can take care of the rest.”
“Coffee trailblazer. Certified pop culture lover. Infuriatingly humble gamer.”
