Over half a million Israelis rally in ‘largest-ever’ anti-regime protests in Tel Aviv

More than half a million Israeli settlers have once again flocked to the streets in Tel Aviv to demand the resignation of the occupying regime’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his cabinet over their failure to reach a ceasefire deal, securing the release of captives held in Gaza.

Israeli media reported that over 500,000 people participated in the “largest-ever” anti-regime demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday for the eighth consecutive night.

Some 250,000 others also joined the rallies in towns elsewhere across the occupied territories, including in al-Quds, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, and near Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea.

Chanting “The regime’s lies won’t bring about security,” protesters in the occupied al-Quds demanded an end to the 11-month-long war in Gaza, the resignation of the Israeli far-right cabinet, and another general strike to build up economic pressure for a ceasefire deal.

The media said clashes were reported with the police after the protesters blocked the highways and set a bonfire.

Police said they detained five protesters at the Tel Aviv rally.

Earlier in the day, Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich expressed opposition to the ceasefire agreement and said the terms supported by Netanyahu would undermine the regime’s goals of “destroying” the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and securing the release of all captives.

The death of six captives last week ignited fury among Israelis who have for months denounced Netanyahu’s policy of torpedoing a deal with Hamas in favor of his political interests.      

Hamas said the Israeli occupation regime and Netanyahu’s cabinet, in their refusal to sign a ceasefire agreement, were to blame for the latest deaths.

“Netanyahu is responsible for the killing of Israeli prisoners,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters. “The Israelis should choose between Netanyahu and the deal.”

Israel launched its brutal onslaught on Gaza after Hamas-led resistance groups carried out a surprise operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people for over seven decades.

During its operation, Hamas took 251 Israelis captive, 97 of whom now remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the occupation’s army in the regime’s strikes.

After 11 months of the Gaza offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its declared objectives of eliminating Hamas and freeing captives, despite killing nearly 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

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