Protests are going by thousands of Israelis at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence demanding for his resignation over the life threatening Hamas attack on October 7. Immediate ceasefire has been urged by the Arab leaders in a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Israel launched an assault on Gaza, in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, which resulted in a high number of fatalities including 9500 Palestinians of which 4000 were children. Gaza’s situation has been raising a concern while both the parties are experiencing casualties due to Israeli airstrikes.
In order to signify unity with the country along with its Jewish community, Former Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson, the former British Prime Minister visited Israel. Since the Hamas attack and the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict, they were the first political leaders to visit from Australia to Israel. They planned to meet Issac Herzog, the president of Israel and also look up to the affected villages in the southern part of the country.
A junior member, Amihay Eliyahu, the Heritage Minister from the Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cabinet made a controversial statement indicating acceptance to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza, this led to the suspension from the cabinet meetings. It’s vital to note that this minister did not have access to classified information about Israel’s nuclear capabilities, which the country does not publicly concede.
The protesters are demanding for the return of hostages taken during the Hamas attack on October 7 along with Netanyahu’s resignation. After the ongoing conflicts end, Netanyahu and other officials would provide answers to the public and he states that he takes no responsibility for the attack.
Morrison says that the reason for the visit was to understand the conditions from the ground level, honor the victims and bring solidarity with Israel trying to discuss how to move forward in the midst of the conflict. Peter Dutton, the opposition leader had earlier called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit Israel, following visits by other world leaders.
On a whole, the situation is tense with protests going on and international delegates visiting Israel to show their support and gather ground information. The conflict raised from the Hamas attack on October 7 has caused fatalities on both sides and calls for humanitarian situations in Gaza.
Image credits- IANS photo
