April 6 (UPI) — Tens of thousands of anti-government protestors rallied in Tel Aviv Saturday evening calling for a Gaza hostage deal after Israeli forces recovered the body of one of the hostages.
Rallies in Tel Aviv and other cities followed the Israeli Defense Forces’ recovery of Elad Katzir earlier Saturday.
The demonstration, which organizers claim drew 100,000 people to Tel Aviv, also comes before Sunday marking the six full months since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Katzir, 47, and his mother were seized on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His father was killed during the attack.
A driver plowed through the crowd Saturday night, injuring at least three protesters before being arrested by police.
Police earlier claimed a group began illegally blocking roads, lighting bonfires and attacking officers. One officer was injured after another officer shoved a protester into her. Police initially claimed the protester had struck the officer but later gave a correction.
At least four protesters were arrested, according to the Times of Israel, and one elderly man was knocked over by a police horse as officers dispersed protesters.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi in a post on X blamed “leftist leaders, inside and outside the coalition” for the “deterioration” of civil discourse since Oct. 7.
“Don’t run over protesters. Period. Don’t attack police officers, period. Don’t throw burning torches at the prime minister’s house. Period,” the post read.
“Even if the reality of allowing disturbances and blocking the roads is intolerable, one must exercise restraint and be very careful.
“This deterioration to October 6, let by leftist leaders, inside and outside the coalition, does not help anyone and tears us apart in the middle of a war.”
Protesters blamed the government for the hit-and-run, noting Transportation Minister Miri Regev, just hours before the incident, had accused protesters of wanting to “assassinate and kill the prime minister.”
Negotiators on Sunday plan to meet in Cairo to attempt to reach a ceasefire and end the war, which to date as claimed over 33,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The Hamas attacks in southern Israel that sparked the war killed about 1,200 people.
The IDF said it has recovered the bodies of 12 hostages since the war began. About 129 hostages are unaccounted four, and at least 34 are presumed dead.