Thirty-three people were arrested in anti-government protests in Tel Aviv on Saturday, according to police, as protesters blocked roads demanding the release of all hostages held in Gaza and calling for a ceasefire agreement.
Police said several hundred protesters on Kaplan Street, informally known as Democracy Square, violated public order, blocking traffic, lighting fires and clashing with police.
Authorities arrested the 33 people who were blocking main roads and cleared the demonstrations, police said, adding that all roads have since reopened.
Video from Saturday's protests 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 about reports of police violence and called for an investigation into the allegations.
Political unrest: The Israeli government is under intense pressure to recover the more than 100 hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip, and there are weekly protests demanding their release.
Many are also demanding new elections and say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current government must resign.
This comes as Netanyahu faces growing domestic political tension, including the possible resignation of Gantz, a key member of the country's wartime emergency government.
After the rescue of four Israeli hostages from Gaza on Saturday, the Israeli prime minister called on Gantz not to abandon the wartime emergency government, saying: “We must remain united within ourselves in the face of the great tasks ahead of us.” “.
