29 arrested in Tel Aviv protest with 550,000 demonstrators demanding hostages' release
Shafaq News/ On Sunday night, Israeli police arrested 29 protesters in Tel Aviv amid ongoing demonstrations demanding the release of hostages held in Gaza, a police report affirmed.
The report followed Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway reopening, which protesters had blocked. According to the police, the 29 protesters were arrested on charges of "disturbing public order, assaulting officers, engaging in violent riots,” while a policewoman was injured during the clashes and taken to the hospital for treatment.
Additionally, Tel Aviv police reported using stun grenades to disperse rioting protesters in the city center, who blocked roads after a large rally supporting the release of hostages in Gaza. “Efforts to clear protesters from Ayalon Highway continue, with crowd-control-weapons being used, as protesters actively resist evacuation and resort to force against officers.”
A video shared by the Israeli police press service showed activists resisting police and refusing to clear the central highway, with officers using stun grenades and forcibly removing protesters lying on the pavement, while firefighters worked to extinguish fires burning on the road.
In turn, Labor MK Naama Lazimi, one of the protesters who were hurt by police stun grenades, posted on X, “There was then another blast that was close and almost hit us directly. Miraculously, nothing happened beyond a few superficial bruises.”
“Police are endangering the public’s safety.”
On Sunday, tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities, demanding an immediate agreement to release hostages in Gaza. Activists organized the mass protest following news of six hostages killed after 330 days in captivity.
According to organizers, around 300,000 people gathered in the streets of Tel Aviv, while about half a million Israelis protested simultaneously across the country. Later, media reports, citing organizers, stated that the number of protesters in Israel reached 700,000, including 550,000 in Tel Aviv alone.
