Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): The general anger of the Zionist community due to the killing of six Israeli prisoners, whose bodies were found on September 1, 2024, continues, and as the anniversary of the Al-Aqsa storm operation approaches on October 7, protests are also ongoing.
Protest organizers estimated that 500,000 people took part in the main Tel Aviv march on Saturday. The march was organized by the Association of Families of Israeli Prisoners. The association's estimate of half a million Israelis participating in the protests has also been confirmed by the Tel Aviv police. The Zionist police also announced that 250 thousand people have also started protest marches in different cities of the occupied territories.
If these figures are correct, the recent rally in Tel Aviv was the largest demonstration in Israel's 75-year history; Because it has never happened before that 500,000 people gathered in a city in the occupied territories. On the other hand, when we consider that the population of Tel Aviv residents is less than 500,000 people, the magnitude of this protest, which is probably accompanied by the presence of protesters from the surrounding area, becomes more clear.
Simultaneous protests were held in important cities and intersections of Israel, including in Quds, Haifa, Rishon Letzion, Beersheba, Netanya and some other cities, and the organizers claimed that tens of thousands of people participated in the protests in some areas.
It should also be mentioned that the protesters in Tel Aviv were more than 5% of the total population of Occupied Palestine (about 9.5 million people) and when the protesters from other cities are added to this figure, this figure increases to 7.8% of the total population. The protest of 5 to 8 percent of the total members of a society has an important message against the policies of the ruling body in that society.
As with previous protests, the Tel Aviv protests were accompanied by clashes between protesters and the police. The opposition tried to block the main roads, including the Ayalon highway. Despite widespread criticism for being inflexible in negotiations to reach an agreement, Netanyahu continues to insist that Israel must maintain its security presence at the Philadelphia crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border, a major source of contention in the ongoing talks.
This is the second time in the last 10 days that the volume of protests in the occupied territories has set new records. Earlier on September 2, Tel Aviv witnessed a demonstration of 350,000 people, and the number of protesters in other cities was around 500,000. It was the largest street protest in Israel since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, and was surpassed by the September 8 protests.
It seems that the combination of two protest waves is the cause of this new record; The first group is the weekly protests of the families of Israeli prisoners, which is organized by the Association of Families of Prisoners, and the second group is the opponents of Netanyahu's cabinet, which has been held in front of the Ministry of War for months.
Efrat Makhikawa, one of the protesters in Tel Aviv, who is the nephew of Gadi Musa, an Israeli prisoner, said: "I think even those who may have been hesitant about joining the protests have gradually decided to be the voice of the community and demand the return be captured and agree to a ceasefire."
Daniel Aloni, a prisoner freed during the previous week's ceasefire, also addressed Netanyahu: "Let me remind the prime minister that today is September 7 and today is exactly 11 months since the terrible tragedy. Who would have believed that after eleven months, the government did nothing to return the captives?"
After the two protest groups joined each other, the protesters went to Begin Street and lit a fire. The police extinguished the fire several times, but the fire was lit again by the protesters. They then blocked the Ayalon highway, which has become a regular occurrence in large Tel Aviv protests, as well as the intersection of Namir and Pincas streets.
The published videos show that one of the teenage protesters was severely beaten by the Tel Aviv police and was arrested. On the other hand, a group of extreme rightists also started a counter-demonstration against the opponents of Netanyahu's government. This group called for intensifying the attacks of the Zionist army to free the prisoners through military operations and to surrender Hamas in the battlefield.
According to Tasnim, in Haifa, the police forces were also accused of using excessive force, a video shows that the protesters in this city were thrown towards the barbed wire that was placed on the side of the road. It is reported that at least two protesters were taken to medical centers due to injuries allegedly inflicted by the police.