Israelis protest Netanyahu's government, call for a deal with Hamas
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Thousands of Israeli settlers continue protesting against their government's decisions while calling for a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
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Israeli forces use water cannons to disperse demonstrators during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, and calling for the release of captives, Saturday, May 11, 2024 (AP)
Thousands of Israeli settlers protested alongside the families of Israeli captives against Netanyahu's government, calling for its fall, in front of the Security Ministry entryway in Tel Aviv.
Protesters heavily criticized Netanyahu and his government, accusing them of abandoning the captives, while emphasizing that protests will continue until the occupation government is overthrown.
The families of captives reportedly said that Netanyahu's remaining in government would obstruct the release of captives, adding that saving them would come after the government is saved from the prime minister.
Ynet reported a relative of one of the captives as saying "We are gathered here today to declare that Israel abandoned captives and left them for dead with Hamas."
It added that only a new Israeli occupation government would be able to retrieve captives, stressing that Netanyahu does not want a prisoner exchange deal and is trying his best to obstruct negotiations. The settler further stated, "The Rafah invasion and expanding military operations in south Gaza only diminishes the possibility of reaching an exchange deal and puts our family members at risk."
In turn, the mother of one of the captives called on Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, Gadi Eisenkot, and everyone in the Likud party and Israeli coalition to dissolve the government and cut all ties with it. She added that Netanyahu's government has abandoned settlers and was driving "Israel" to chaos.
Protests also emerged in Haifa, Rehovot, and Nes Ziona, calling for a prisoner exchange deal and early elections.
'Israel' kills captives like flies
Earlier today, the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obaida, revealed that an Israeli captive was killed after succumbing to his wounds, sustained in a targeted Israeli airstrike amid the aggression against the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday, Abu Obaida stated that Nadav Popplewell, 51, who holds a British citizenship, had sustained serious injuries when an Israeli airstrike targeted a location of captivity around a month ago. Amid the Israeli deliberate destruction of hospitals in Gaza, Popplewell could not receive the necessary medical treatment.
On May 7, an Israeli captive was also killed as a result of a direct Israeli military attack on an area where she was being held, Abu Obeida, announced.
Judih Weinstein, 70, was identified as the captive who died as a result of an Israeli strike in which she was critically injured around a month ago. Abu Obeida revealed that due to the Israeli occupation's destruction of Gaza's health sector, Judih did not receive the necessary medical attention and died after succumbing to her wounds.
It is worth noting that Judih was thought to have been killed on October 7, 2023, however, the captive was only injured at the time and was transferred to a hospital where she received medical attention and recovered from her wounds. This refutes Israeli media claims of her being murdered while on a walk with her husband in Kibbutz Nir Oz outside the Gaza Strip.
