Israeli Protesters Gather Outside Netanyahu's Home in Jerusalem

Opponents of the Israeli government gathered again on Thursday evening outside the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, lighting fires and chanting slogans demanding his resignation. One of the placards held by the protesters read, 'We have been left to our own devices' and 'Elections must be held.' The protesters shouted through loudspeakers, beat drums, and waved flags while police set up barriers in front of them to prevent them from advancing. As the war in Gaza against the extremist group Hamas and tensions at the Lebanon border with Hezbollah continue, the number of anti-government demonstrations in Israel is steadily increasing, though these protests have not yet reached the scale of last year's protests against Netanyahu's proposed changes to the Israeli judicial system. Many among the protesters, numbering in the thousands, chanted in support of an agreement for the release of 120 Israeli hostages still held by Palestinian militants in Gaza. As night fell, the protesters blocked surrounding streets and lit a large fire in central Jerusalem, but no reports of clashes have emerged. Unlike larger protests in the past, Israeli police did not resort to water cannons this time. This protest movement has not yet changed the political landscape in Israel, and Netanyahu still holds a parliamentary majority.