Thousands of Israelis has taken to the streets of Jerusalem, indicating a significant demonstration against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is the largest one since the start of the conflict with Hamas.
Protests have erupted in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa as people rally for the freedom of the 130 hostages who have been held captive since October 7.
Hostages' Families Demand Netanyahu's Resignation
The hostages' family called Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu an "obstacle" to a cease-fire and demanded his resignation. They asked that the militants from Hamas release the hostages by setting fires and using smoke flares.
"Enough killing, enough despair," was a scream heard in Tel Aviv. It happened right before Netanyahu's war cabinet meeting yesterday night, when he was scheduled to have surgery for a hernia.
According to officials, he will be completely unconscious. On Saturday night, the hernia was found during a normal check-up. Netanyahu reiterated his pledge that Israel will destroy Hamas yesterday and that he would be "back very soon" after his operation.
Netanyahu has promised to destroy Hamas and send all the captives back home, but many of their relatives feel that there is not much time left.
Boaz Atzili, whose cousin Aviv Atlizi and his wife Liat went missing on October 7, said, "We believe that no hostages will come back with this government because they're busy putting sticks in the wheels of negotiations for the hostages."
The body of Atzili's cousin, who was murdered during Hamas' attack on Israel, is still in Gaza.
"Netanyahu is only working in his private interests," he continued.
Hostage Talks Amid Protests, Netanyahu's Surgery
According to an Egyptian state-run TV station quoting security sources, hostage talks started on Sunday, although there were no indications that progress was going to be reached. Crowds of protesters surrounded the Knesset, the Israeli legislative building, for miles on Sunday.
They saw them gathering around bonfires, waving Israeli flags, and igniting flares. Some of the people fighting with the cops looked to be in prison. There were thousands of protesters in Tel Aviv as well, the site of the previous night's major demonstration.
On Sunday, his office declared that the surgery will proceed. A few minutes later, a representative of the Hadassah Medical Centre, at the location of the operation, declared that the process was "successful."
"In the operating room at Hadassah Ein Kerem, the hernia surgery of the prime minister of Israel, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, was successfully completed," according to a spokeswoman for Sky News.
The prime minister, as reported by surgical team leader Professor Alon Pikarski, was "awake, recovering and talking with his family".
In a televised statement before to the operation, Mr. Netanyahu acknowledged his sympathy for the suffering endured by the relatives of the hostages, but he added that calling for a new election almost two years ahead of schedule would simply put an end to hostage talks.
In the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where over half of the population is seeking refuge after escaping violence, Netanyahu again reiterated his call for a major ground invasion.
He said, "There is no victory without going into Rafah," and he wouldn't back down in the face of US pressure.
US and Israeli officials are reportedly planning to meet virtually on Monday to go over President Joe Biden's alternate plans to halt an assault on Rafah, according to Axios.
