Blocking of roads in several cities of the country, scuffled with the police, departures of fire … Thousands of Israelis went down to the street on Sunday August 17 to claim from the close to Benyamin Netanyahu a cease-fire agreement in Gaza guaranteeing the liberation of hostages, retained for almost two years. In response, thousands of members of the security forces had been deployed and, according to the police, at least 38 demonstrators were arrested for disturbing public order and hampered freedom of traffic. On images published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretzwe can notably see demonstrators set fire to tire lines on a highway while others seem violently thrown on the ground before their arrest.
On this day of historical mobilization, the epicenter of protests was at the end of the afternoon in Tel Aviv, where the demonstrators, brandishing portraits of the kidnapped, Israeli flags and yellow banners, the symbol color of the hostages, gathered on the “Place des Otages”, which has become emblematic since the start of the war, triggered on October 7, 2023 Hamas in Israel. There, at the call of families, an immense Israeli flag flocked with portraits of kidnapped people had already been deployed in the morning. “Today, everything stops to remember the most important value: the sacred character of life”said Anat Angrest, the mother of the hostage Matan Angrest, to journalists in a public square in Tel Aviv.
Later, an old hostage, Ilana Gritzewsky symbolically “married” with her spouse, Matan Zangauker, still held by Hamas. As a reminder, out of the 251 hostages removed on the day of the attack on October 7, 49 remain detained in Gaza, including 27 dead, according to the Israeli army. On other photos published by Haaretzdemonstrators on the ground protect their heads, while alarms resonate around 4 p.m. local time because of a missile pulled by Yemen, which Tsahal announced that it has neutralized.
This first day of the week was not the blocking day hoped by the demonstrators. If large roads, including the highway connecting Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, have been blocked, most of the stores remained open from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. An element of explanation: the main union center had not called to demonstrate, considering, by the voice of its president Arnon Bar-David, that this mobilization will have no influence on the decisions of the government.
On the government side, we have little tasted the extent of the mobilization. “Blocking the main roads in Israel and disturbing the lives of citizens is a reward for the enemy”for example, deplored the Minister of Culture, Miki Zohar, who castigated the demonstrations. The far -right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich also denounced a “campaign […] who makes the game of Hamas ”.
On the same line, Benyamin Netanyahu stripped himself to repeat his mantra: only the pursuit of the war will release the hostages of the claws of Hamas. “Those who call to finish war reinforce the position of Hamas, delay the release of hostages and endorse the repetition of horrors” Like those in October 7, assured the controversial manager at the meeting of his office. “To advance towards the release of the hostages and guarantee that Gaza will no longer present threats to Israel, we must finish work and defeat Hamas”continued Benyamin Netanyahu, a few hours before the Gaza Ministry of Health announced only in the last 24 hours, 38 Palestinians have been killed and 226 injured by Israeli fire, including 14 people who came to seek help.
The announcement of the potential takeover of Gaza-Ville aroused an international disapproval and strengthened the accusations of genocide towards the Israeli power, but also the dread of hostage families who fear that the operation will lead the death of their loved ones. This Sunday, the parents of a hostage notably called for the organization of a referendum on the signing of a peace agreement with Hamas. But if, according to polls, war is now the majority in the Hebrew State, these same opinion studies indicate that the coalition which allows the far -right government to maintain itself is still also supported by its voters. In other words, although impopular, Benyamin Netanyahu does not feel politically in danger. The next hours will say if the mobilization of the day has been able to move the lines.
