Israeli police arrested 33 people on Saturday in anti-government protests in Tel Aviv, where demonstrators blocked roads to demand the release of all hostages held in Gaza and call for a ceasefire agreement.
Police said several hundred demonstrators on Kaplan Street, known unofficially as Democracy Square, violated public order, stopping traffic, setting fires and clashing with police.
The police said that the authorities arrested 33 people who were blocking main roads and broke up the demonstrations, adding that all roads have since been reopened.
Video of the protests on Saturday showed police deploying water cannons to clear crowds, raising concerns about police violence.
In separate posts, opposition leader Yair Lapid and Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz expressed concern over reports of police violence and called for investigations into the allegations.
political problems: The Israeli government is under intense pressure to recover more than 100 hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip, with weekly protests demanding their release.
Many are also demanding new elections, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government should step down.
It comes as Netanyahu faces increasing internal political tensions, including the possible resignation of Gantz, a key member of the country’s wartime emergency government.
After rescuing four Israeli hostages from Gaza on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Gantz called for not leaving the wartime emergency government, saying: “We must remain united within ourselves in the face of the great tasks before us.”
