Tel Aviv: Thousands Participate in Protest Demanding an End to the War of Extermination and Starvation in Gaza

SadaNews - Thousands participated this afternoon, Saturday, in a protest at "Habima" Square in Tel Aviv, demanding an end to the war of extermination and starvation in Gaza.

The protest was called by the Higher Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens in the 48 Areas, Arab parties, civil society organizations, and leftist Israeli forces opposing the war.

Originally, a demonstration was planned where protesters would march from "Dizengoff" Square to "Habima" Square, but the police refused to grant a permit for marches in the streets of Tel Aviv, imposing restrictions that limited protests to specific locations; they also deployed forces around the protest area.

During the demonstration, participants raised banners demanding an end to the Israeli war on Gaza, calling for a prisoner exchange agreement, as well as demanding the entry of humanitarian aid to the sector, the lifting of the siege, and the withdrawal of the Israeli army.

Some of the banners raised by demonstrators read, "Enough of genocide," "Stop the war," "Enter humanitarian aid," "Stop killing children," and "Netanyahu is exterminating Gaza."

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli police have practiced various forms of repression against the freedoms of Arab citizens, nearly completely confiscating the right to protest, in addition to issuing administrative arrest orders against dozens of leaders and activists in the Arab community, alongside hundreds of summons aimed at intimidating Arab citizens. Meanwhile, Jewish citizens are granted complete freedom to protest and close streets, in a clear manifestation of the apartheid policy and the double standards practiced by Israeli authorities.

The police, led by the convicted minister who supports terrorism, Itamar Ben Gvir, have arrested about 178 Arab citizens since the end of 2023 and during 2024 due to posts on social media platforms (based on data they have under the Freedom of Information Act), noting that the actual numbers may be much higher.

At the same time, the police reported that they arrested only 4 people for protesting without a permit, which contradicts their statement issued on October 23, 2023, in which they announced the arrest of 12 individuals on suspicion of participating in an unauthorized protest in Umm al-Fahm, in addition to numerous arrests during protest vigils in Haifa, affirming that the police did not tell the truth in response to journalists' requests to disclose the number of arrests of Arab citizens in the 48 areas.