Thousands of Israelis Protest Against Netanyahu; Demonstrators Call for Government Replacement

Thousands gathered on Saturday, January 13, across Israel on the hundredth day of the war between the country and the militant group Hamas to protest against Netanyahu's government and demand its replacement. According to 'Haaretz', the demonstrators chanted slogans against Netanyahu's government policies, and one of them told the newspaper that the protesters' demand for a change of government is a genuine and moral request. The report states that the police used force to disperse the protesters who had blocked the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway. 'The Times of Israel' estimated the number of participants in the Saturday protest in Tel Aviv at 120,000, noting that they marched in support of the hostages. Simultaneously, Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, and General Gadi Eisenkot, former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and a minister from the National Unity Party, attended the Tel Aviv protest immediately after the conclusion of the war cabinet meeting, calling for the release of hostages after 100 days of captivity. Hamas militants killed at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in a terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7 and took around 240 hostages, including children, women, and the elderly, to Gaza. In response to this action, Israel launched extensive air, sea, and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip aimed at destroying Hamas. Hamas officials, who control the Gaza government, claim that over 23,000 people have been killed in Gaza, most of whom are children and women. In contrast, Israel states that Hamas uses civilians as human shields. The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, Israel, and several other countries have listed Hamas as a terrorist organization.