Mass protests in Israel
Recently, massive demonstrations have been witnessed in Israel, where up to 150,000 people mobilized in the country’s main cities to express their rejection of the invasion and their discontent with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. These marches, called by the Hofshi Israel organization, have been a clear message of disapproval towards the government and its role in the massacre in Gaza and the West Bank.
Beyond rejecting the invasion, protesters have demanded the resignation of Netanyahu’s government en bloc and the calling of early elections. An agreement has also been demanded for the return of the hostages who remain in Palestinian territory since the Islamic militia offensive.
In particular, the name of the young soldier Naama Levy has been remembered, whose mother has appealed to the prime minister to esteem and care for all the hostages as he esteems and cares for himself.
Protocol Violations in the West Bank
On the same day of the demonstrations, one of the latest ‘protocol violations’ by the Israeli Defense Forces in the West Bank was reported. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, Israeli soldiers used a wounded Palestinian citizen as a human shield, an act that has been condemned by both the organization and the international community.
The army has been forced to condemn the conduct of its soldiers, ensuring that the incident will be investigated and dealt with accordingly. This situation has generated harsh criticism of Tel Aviv and its allies from the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese.
Conflict Expansion
The Israeli offensive is not limited to Gaza, as it has also intensified in southern Lebanon, where fighting with the Hezbollah militia has increased in recent days. This escalation of tensions has led to voices from Netanyahu’s executive to hint at the possibility of an ‘all-out war’ against Hezbollah, which represents a risk to stability in the region due to the Iranian government’s support for Lebanese militants.