Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem on Wednesday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to remove the head of the Shin Bet domestic security organisation and resume the war in Gaza.
According to Israeli news outlet, demonstrators blocked Jerusalem’s major entry, as they marched toward Netanyahu’s home.
Netanyahu said this weekend that he will sack Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, citing “a lack of trust.”
Tensions between Netanyahu and the Shin Bet have risen in the wake of the agency’s own probe of the Palestinian group Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Netanyahu criticised the report’s findings, claiming they failed to answer important concerns.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu’s administration launched bombings on Gaza, killing nearly 400 Palestinians and breaking the cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement.
Opponents fear that the resumption of the Gaza war would kill any chance to release around 59 Israelis held captive by Hamas in the enclave.
Since October 2023, Israel’s deadly military operation in Gaza has killed about 50,000 Palestinians, the majority of them are women and children, and injured over 112,000 more.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel is also facing a genocide prosecution at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
