Islam Times - Thousands of Israelis Join Anti-Government Protests Calling for New Elections

Islam Times - Thousands of Israeli demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday to call for new elections and demand more action from the government to bring the hostages held in Gaza home, in the latest round of protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The protests have continued as the war in Gaza moves through its seventh month and amid growing anger over the government's approach to the 133 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas, Middle East Eye reported.

"We're here to protest against this government that keeps dragging us down, month after month; before October 7, after October 7. We kept going down in a spiral," said Yalon Pikman, 58, who attended a march in Tel Aviv.

Surveys show that most Israelis blame Netanyahu for the security failures that led to the devastating * by Hamas fighters on communities in Southern Israel on October 7.

Israel's longest-serving prime minister has repeatedly ruled out early elections, which opinion polls suggest he would lose, saying that to go to the polls in the middle of a war would only reward Hamas.

Israel unleashed the war on Gaza on October 7,2023 after Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm in the occupied territories in retaliation for the Tel Aviv’s incessant against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Since the start of the aggression, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 34,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the territory.

The campaign has devastated large swathes of Gaza, destroyed hospitals and displaced most of its population of 2.4 million.