About 150,000 people attended the rally, one of the largest demonstrations since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Tens of thousands of protesters waving Israeli flags and chanting slogans against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday, demanding new elections and the return of captives held in Gaza.
Large protests have taken place weekly in the Israeli city against Netanyahu’s handling of the nearly nine-month-old Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.
Many protesters held signs reading “Minister of Crime” and “Stop the War” as people flocked to the main thoroughfare of Israel’s largest city.
“I’m here because I’m afraid for my grandchild’s future. There will be no future for them if we don’t get rid of this horrible government,” said entrepreneur Shai Erel, 66. “All the Knesset rats…I wouldn’t let any of them become a kindergarten guard.
Anti-government protest organization Hofshi Israel estimates that more than 150,000 people attended the rally, calling it the largest since Israel’s war on Gaza.
Some demonstrators spread out on the red-painted ground in the city’s Democracy Square to protest what they see as the death of the country’s democracy under Netanyahu.
In a speech to the crowd, Yuval Diskin, former head of Israel’s domestic security agency, the Shin Bet, condemned Netanyahu as “Israel’s worst prime minister.”
Many are frustrated with the country’s right-wing coalition, which includes Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other far-right ultranationalists, accusing it of prolonging the war in Gaza and endangering the country’s security and his prisoners.
Yoram, a 50-year-old tour guide who declined to give his last name, said he attends every weekly protest because Israel needs elections “yesterday” because of Netanyahu.
“I really hope the government collapses. If we move back to the original election date in 2026, it will not be a democratic election.”
Another rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening attracted thousands of relatives and supporters of the captives.
