TEL AVIV : Amid the tumultuous protests outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence, a distressing scene unfolded as Ayala Metzger, daughter-in-law of hostage Yoram Metzger, found herself in a confrontation with the police, The Times of Israel reported on Tuesday (Local Time).
Video footage captured the chaotic moment as she was dragged away amidst scuffles between anti-government demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
The commotion escalated when several protesters, including Metzger, defiantly sat down in a nearby playground, prompting police to intervene and forcibly remove them from the area.
The situation grew increasingly tense as reports emerged of multiple detentions and arrests, with one individual suspected of hurling a burning torch at a mounted officer, according to The Times of Israel.
Despite police efforts to disperse the crowd using a water cannon, the deployment was thwarted by a protester who courageously lay beneath its path, halting its advance.
The march, which began outside Knesset, was led by Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who along with thousands of demonstrators demanded elections to replace Netanyahu and condemned the current government as “stumbling and confused,” The Times of Israel reported.
Among the voices raised in protest was Merav Svirsky, sister of murdered hostage Itay Svirsky, who criticised Netanyahu for his handling of negotiations with Gaza captors, accusing him of prioritizing political manoeuvring over the lives of hostages.
“Bibi is playing politics on the backs of the hostage families,” she said, demanding the prime minister’s immediate resignation. “It’s not that he failed to return them, it’s not that he’s unable, it’s that he doesn’t want to,” The Times of Israel reported.
The former premier led this mass protest for a third consecutive night and urged the Histadrut labor union to throw its support behind the protests, advocating for a nationwide shutdown to amplify their message. (ANI)