Thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Jerusalem again on Thursday to protest against the resurgence of the Gaza war and the planned dismissal of the head of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service.
According to media reports, the demonstrations – like those on Wednesday evening – were marked by violent clashes between police and protesters, including near the residency of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Media reported that several protesters critical of the government tried to break through police barricades in front of Netanyahu’s home and that security forces violently prevented them and fired water cannon.
Several demonstrators were injured, the Haaretz newspaper reported.
An opposition politician, Yair Golan, was pushed to the ground by police, Israeli media reported. Golan wrote on X that he was fine and that he would continue to fight against the government.
Netanyahu reportedly wanted to have the highly controversial dismissal of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar approved by the government on Thursday evening.
In an investigation by Shin Bet into the mistakes that had made the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023 possible, Netanyahu’s policies had come in for criticism.
Shin Bet is also investigating alleged illegal ties between Netanyahu’s associates and the emirate of Qatar.
