Israelis protest against renewed attacks on Gaza

A coalition of hostage families and protesters against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's moves against the judiciary and parts of the security establishment is coming together again after war returned this week to Gaza.

The prime minister's decision to resume the war and bombard the Palestinian enclave, with 59 hostages - around 24 of whom are believed to be alive - still held in Gaza has added fresh fuel to the anger of protesters, who accuse the government of continuing the war for political reasons.

Tens of thousands demonstrated on Tuesday night and more protests were taking place on Wednesday after Netanyahu announced at the weekend that he had lost confidence in Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, and had decided to sack him.

"This is no longer a war that is about something that is important, it is all about the survival of this government, the survival of Benjamin Netanyahu," said Koren Offer, a protester in Jerusalem.

Protest groups have ranged from the Defensive Shield Forum, a group representing former defence and security officials, and the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, an anti-corruption group that was active in a bitter battle in 2023 over curbing the power of the Supreme Court, alongside families of the hostages in Gaza.

There is an echo in the current movement of the huge protests that erupted in 2023 - before the Oct 7 Hamas attacks that triggered the war in Gaza - when Netanyahu attempted to sack then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over his opposition to the planned judicial overhaul.