Thousands gather outside IDF HQ in Tel Aviv to protest government, call for hostage deal

Anti-government protesters on Tel Aviv's Kaplan Street, with a banner reading "You're the leader, you are guilty," February 24, 2024. (Ofer Mariah /  Israel Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
Anti-government protesters on Tel Aviv's Kaplan Street, with a banner reading "You're the leader, you are guilty," February 24, 2024. (Ofer Mariah / Israel Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Protesters are gathering outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv to demonstrate against the government.

The rally does not have one clear demand. Protesters are calling for a deal to release the hostages held by the terror group Hamas, others call for early elections, the dismissal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or a diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

There are also calls against the government, particularly against a bill that would exempt ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from mandatory military service.

At the demonstration’s start, attendees stand for a moment of silence for the over 500 soldiers that have been killed since October 7 and the beginning of Israel’s war against Hamas.

“It’s not as strong as it was before,” one demonstrator, Amit, tells The Times of Israel, referring to the anti-judicial overhaul protests that occurred weekly on Saturday nights before the breakout of the war.

“But now it’s more important than ever. Before it was an argument over the nature of democracy, now it concerns people’s lives.”

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