Israel Police began forcibly evacuating protesters who had entered the Likud headquarters (Metzudat Ze’ev) in Tel Aviv, tied themselves in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, and began a non-violent sit-in protest for 600 minutes to protest the 600th day of the Israel-Hamas war on Wednesday.
Protestors also project the words "Qatari Embassy in Israel" onto the side of the Metzudat Ze'ev building, alluding to the alleged payoffs from the Qatari government to government aides.
By Thursday morning, 60 protesters were still being held with no concrete decision issued, Maarach Otef Atzurim, a protest legal aid organization. One minor was released to house arrest.
In a statement, the Israel Police said that the protesters were disrupting public order with their demonstration.
"During an illegal demonstration in Tel Aviv, dozens of protesters who disrupted public order, caused property damage, and broke into Metzudat Ze’ev were arrested."
The release also noted that a police officer was injured and that police were making widespread arrests.
Outside Metzudat Ze’ev, hundreds of protesters also began a sit-in protest, blocking nearby streets. The protesters tied themselves to the building’s stairs to mark 600 days of neglect of the hostages.
“We are holding a non-violent sit-in on the stairs leading to the office of the man who runs the country as if there are no hostages, as if time is not running out,” the protesters said.
“This place, which once symbolized national responsibility, has turned into a room for cynical deals with enemies. We have come to remind what is being silenced: 600 days of concealment, repression, and abandonment.”
The protesters emphasized that the action is not provocative but a determined and non-violent civil action, saying that the intention was not to ignite, but to sit and represent the silent majority.
“On behalf of those who can no longer bear another report about a broken family, another hollow speech, another delay. On behalf of the soldiers, the wounded, the evacuees, and the hostages still held captive and still being abandoned. As long as they are inside, we cannot remain silent outside.”
An additional protest will be held at Rabin Square
Following the protests, Shikma Bresler, Moshe Redman, Yaya Pink, and Ami Dror, leaders of the protest for democracy, said: “Even after 600 days of abandonment, the public is fighting resolutely in the streets against a government that abandons the hostages and the security of the country.
"We call on everyone to join tomorrow’s weekly demonstration at Rabin Square at 7:30 PM, to put an end to the madness, and to come today to support the Salma Station in Tel Aviv and the dozens of detainees who took over the Qatar embassy in Israel.”