Gaza: Israeli masses take to streets demanding Netanyahu's resignation
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Associated Press photo.
Tel Aviv: Protesting Israel's war in Gaza, tens of thousands gathered in Tel Aviv's "Democracy Square" on Saturday on the occasion of 6 months since the start of the war, Agence France-Presse reported.
Organisers said that there were 1,00,000 people who gathered at the protest site, which is famous since the mass protests against the controversial judicial reforms last year.
Protesters called for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and chanted "elections now" while the war in Gaza entered its seventh month on Sunday.
There were rallies and demonstrations held in other cities of Israel, and the nation's opposition leader, Yair Lapid, took part in one of them in Kfar Saba. In the rally, he said that they hadn't learnt anything or changed.
"Until we send them home, they won't give this country a chance to move forward," AFP quoted him.
There were media reports of clashes between police and protesters at the Tel Aviv rally. Police informed that one protester was arrested. Later, the protesters there were joined by families of Gaza hostages and their supporters.
Earlier, the Israeli Army informed that they recovered the body of an Israeli who was kept as a hostage by Hamas after the person was abducted by them during the October 7 attack. The Army said that the person was later murdered in captivity in the Gaza Strip. According to the Army, the latest recovery takes the number of bodies of hostages the Army brought back home from Gaza during the war to 12.
According to Israel, Hamas' attack on them has resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, and most of them are civilians. Meanwhile, Israel's retaliation to the October 7 attack, which continues after 6 months, has killed at least 33,137 people, according to the Hamas-led health ministry in Gaza.
Hamas militants took around 250 Israelis and foreigners as hostages on October 7. Israeli Army claims that there are 129 more being held in Hamas' captivity, which include 34, who are presumed dead.
Demonstrators are expected to protest on the streets again on Sunday, and a rally is planned in Jerusalem.