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Thousands of Israeli protesters have held protests, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign over his handling of the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and failure to secure the release of the remaining captives held in the Palestinian territory.
The anti-regime demonstrations took place on Saturday night outside the Israeli military’s headquarters in Tel Aviv and Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea.
The protesters demanded immediate elections and a deal with the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement to release all the Israeli captives.
They carried banners reading, “Elections now,” “A diplomatic agreement,” “The cry of mothers: Get our soldiers out of Gaza now” and “Israel will not survive if we don’t bring him (Netanyahu) down.”
Israel waged the genocidal war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
However, almost three months into the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its objectives of “destroying Hamas” and finding Israeli captives despite killing more than 21, 000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, with tens of thousands injured.
A week-long humanitarian ceasefire in late November saw an exchange between 240 Palestinian abductees held by Israel and 105 captives, including 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners, in Gaza.
Israel believes about 129 captives are still being held in Gaza, while 7,000 Palestinians are believed to be in Israeli prisons, many detained without charge.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, at least 68 Palestinians have been killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, according to the official Wafa news agency.
Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes on the Zaitoun neighbourhood, leaving 48 dead and scores injured, Wafa said citing local sources.
Another 20 people were killed in airstrikes in the vicinity of Al Aqsa University, the broadcaster said.
Palestinian health authorities are yet to confirm the fatalities.
Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in Gaza, the Israeli army said.
A military statement said a soldier lost his life in central Gaza, while the other was killed in Gaza’s north.
According to military figures, at least 506 soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the conflict on October 7.
In another development, dozens of Israeli soldiers stationed near the Gaza border are suspected of having the skin disease leishmaniasis, an Israeli newspaper has revealed in its report.
They are suspected of having skin lesions caused by the Leishmania parasite, which causes Rose of Jericho disease (leishmaniasis) because they have “ulcerative skin lesions,” the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Sunday.
Some soldiers were sent to conduct laboratory tests, the results of which have yet to be received, while others were transferred to dermatology clinics for treatment, it added.
