Israel’s police have condemned what it called “brutal vandalism” during a night of anti-government demonstrations in Tel Aviv, sparked by the deaths in custody of six Hamas hostages in Gaza.
In a statement, the Police Spokesperson’s Unit said officers arrested 29 suspects for a range of offences, including disorderly conduct, assaulting officers and vandalism.
Protesters set fire to wooden pallets as they blocked Tel Aviv’s Ayalon highway during an anti-government rally calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian militants in Gaza since October, September 1, 2024, after Israel announced that its troops had found six kill the hostages in a Gaza tunnel.
Oren Ziv/AFP via Getty Images
The violence followed a planned protest at Kaplan Junction in Tel Aviv, according to the statement, after which “hundreds of protesters” left the approved demonstration area and moved to Ayalon Highway, “with the intention of disrupting traffic and public order”.
Some marchers “violently pushed against barricades and officers, leading to a confrontation during which a policewoman was injured and lost consciousness,” the statement said. The officer was evacuated for medical treatment.
As officers tried to clear the area, “some protesters breached security boundaries, blocked Ayalon Highway and set fire, while shooting fireworks that almost hit officers,” police said.
“The Israel Police strongly condemns the vandalism and violence directed at police officers,” the statement read. “We will take legal action against those responsible to the fullest extent of the law.”
The protesters demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government agree to a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.
A general strike called by Israel’s largest trade union – the Histadrut – began on Monday morning in an attempt to pressure the government to reach an agreement with the militant group.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and David Brennan