Israeli protesters storm ruling Likud party headquarters in Tel Aviv, demand hostage release deal
Hundreds of protesters take to streets as 600 days of Gaza war fuel calls for hostage deal
JERUSALEM
Dozens of Israeli protesters stormed the ruling Likud party headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, demanding a deal to free hostages held by Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza, Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.
The demonstrators breached the Metzudat Ze’ev building and chained themselves in front of Netanyahu's office, marking 600 days since the war began.
Videos shared on X showed Israeli police forcibly dispersing the crowd.
The Likud headquarters occupies the 11th floor of the Metzudat Ze’ev building.
Outside, hundreds of protesters staged a sit-in, blocking nearby streets, the Haaretz newspaper reported. Some wore orange jumpsuits—symbolizing death row inmates—and masks resembling Netanyahu and his ministers.
Haaretz noted that dozens of demonstrators shut down King George Street during a march toward Hostages Square, where police forcibly removed them, confiscating megaphones and drums.
Simultaneously, hundreds blocked Begin Street near the Defense Ministry, with a group entering the Metzudat Ze’ev building, the outlet said.
Israel estimates that 58 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,100 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, including reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.
The Israeli opposition and families of the hostages have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war to appease his far-right coalition partners and maintain power.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 54,000 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 crimes against civilians in the enclave.
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