JERUSAELM/ISTANBUL
Israeli police suppressed a protest Thursday in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, arresting seven demonstrators who demanded an immediate prisoner exchange with Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza, even if it required ending the war, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.
The police claimed the arrests were for “disrupting public order” and alleged that some protesters “forcibly breached security barriers,” leading to limited clashes and the protest being declared “illegal,” the newspaper said.
It was the first protest calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza since Israel’s 12 days of airstrikes and missile attacks on Iran backed by the US concluded on June 24.
During the Israel-Iran conflict, the Israeli military imposed restrictions on public gatherings, halting weekly protests by families of hostages, which were primarily held on Saturdays but also sporadically on other days.
On Thursday, the families issued their first statement since the end of the conflict, announcing a resumption of protests starting Saturday, though some began demonstrating that day.
Israel estimates that 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive, while over 10,400 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, facing torture, starvation and medical neglect, leading to numerous deaths, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups and media reports.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich oppose any deal to end the war, threatening to topple the government if a ceasefire is reached.
The Israeli opposition and hostage families accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war to appease his far-right coalition partners for personal political gain, particularly to maintain power.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 56,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.