Israeli anger boils over as police respond with violent dispersal tactics
These were essentially spontaneous protests that started earlier in the day after the announcement that the Israeli army had retrieved the bodies of six captives from Gaza.
And it sparked a lot of outrage because, according to Israeli military assessments, they were alive just a few days ago and these captives were supposed to be on the list of those to be released in the first phase of a deal – but there wasn’t a deal.
So the anger from the Israeli public spilled onto the streets. Police ended up using force against these demonstrators, firing stun grenades which is a first at these protests, then dragging these protesters away.
Just last night, you had police mounted on horseback who trampled the sister of one of the Israeli captives.
Hamas says Israeli government chose occupation over captives
The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, issued a video statement saying that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu chose to maintain troops in the Philadelphi Corridor between Egypt and the Gaza Strip rather than getting Israeli captives back alive.
The video came hours after the Israeli army said it recovered the bodies of six abductees the southern Gaza Strip.
The video addressed the Israeli army: “What kind of heroism is this? And you are retrieving them as corpses after deliberately killing them? Indeed, they were alive and were supposed to be released in the first phase of the [ceasefire] deal.”
Fury and frustration among Israeli demonstrators
Thousands of people, some of them weeping, gathered outside Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office in West Jerusalem. In Tel Aviv, captives’ relatives marched with coffins to symbolise the death toll.
“We really think the government is making these decisions for its own conservation and not for the lives of the hostages, and we need to tell them, ‘Stop!'” said Shlomit Hacohen, a Tel Aviv resident.
Three of the six captives found dead in Gaza in recent days were reportedly scheduled to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire proposal discussed in July. This fuelled fury and frustration among the protesters.
“Nothing is worse than knowing they could have been saved,” said demonstrator Dana Loutaly. “Sometimes it takes something so awful to shake people up and get them out into the streets.”
‘Profoundly detrimental’ Israeli government policy in the spotlight
Israeli political commentator Ori Goldberg says the Netanyahu government is now on the defensive after the deaths of six captives in Gaza, some of whom were set to be freed under a ceasefire plan.
“Everything about the demonstrations tonight, the scope of the protests and the general vibe tells me that it’s different,” said Goldberg.
“The death of these six hostages, which apparently came right before the military forces converged on them, proves to many Israelis that the ‘military pressure’ – as the prime minister calls it – is instrumental in killing the hostages, rather than rescuing them.
“What has really been driven home today is the understanding that the policy of Israel’s government is profoundly detrimental to Israelis – and perhaps, in the case of the hostages, even lethal,” he told Al Jazeera.
Israeli police clear road blockade, make 29 arrests
Israeli police have cleared demonstrators blocking a key road in Tel Aviv after a night of sometimes violent protests over the war on Gaza.
“During the illegal demonstration, police forces in Tel Aviv arrested 29 suspects who violated the order, attacked policemen and rioted with brutality and vandalism,” police said in a statement on X.
“All the roads have been cleared of protesters and the roads are gradually being opened to vehicle traffic.”
