Tel Aviv [Israel], June 19: Protests erupted in Jerusalem on Monday against the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over its failure to secure a hostage deal, resulting in violent clashes between demonstrators and police.
At least three people were injured and eight people were arrested on Monday evening in the violent clashes that took place in front of the prime minister's private residence, the Haaretz newspaper reported.
The police used water cannons to disperse the protesters, according to the Times of Israel.
Earlier, thousands of people were rallying in front of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, calling for early elections and an agreement to facilitate the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza, according to the Times of Israel.
"After what happened on October 7, and in light of this government's extremism and denial of its failure, it needs to return the mandate to the people," protest leader Shikma Bressler told the outlet.
Netanyahu's government comprises his right-wing religious Likud party as well as far-right and ultra-religious coalition parties.
In the unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7, militants from Palestinian extremist movement Hamas and other groups killed some 1,200 people and abducted about 250 more to Gaza.
Israel responded by pounding Gaza with airstrikes and launched a ground offensive into the sealed-off Palestinian territory at the end of October with the stated aim of eliminating Hamas.
More than 37,000 people have been killed and more than 85,000 injured in the course of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza.
While the staggering death toll has sparked widespread international condemnation, at home Netanyahu has been faced with increased pressure over a lack of a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages from Gaza. His critics have accused him of catering to his extremist coalition partners and therefore thwarting negotiated solutions. Netanyahu denies this, blaming Hamas for the stagnation of the indirect negotiations.
Source: Qatar Tribune