Following the statement the families of the hostages made at the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, protesters blocked the gate to the Kirya in Tel Aviv, chanting "Rafah can wait - the hostages can't," on Monday.
The police later reported that the roads in Kaplan between Da Vinci Street and Menachem Begin Road are blocked. In the Menachem Begin area, the roads between King Saul and Hashmonaim are also blocked on both ways. The Hashalom bridge ramps to the north and south are also blocked.
"Due to the blockades, traffic congestions may happen. Please listen to the instructions of the police stationed at the checkpoints and use alternative routes," the police requested of the public.
Israel Police said that five demonstrators were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct by the time the roads reopened to traffic, Hebrew media reported. Police also said that once officer was injured by a protester and was taken for medical treatment.
One of those arrested was Shanir Dahan, the uncle of Carmel Gat, who is still held hostages in Gaza.
Police also addressed Labor MK Naama Lazimi's claims that she was assaulted by officers at the Metzudat Ze'ev building on King George Street, saying that "Violators who disobeyed the police's instructions, including a member of the Knesset, tried to enter the Metzudat Ze'ev compound and vandalized the place," Ynet quoted them.
Lazimi took to X to counter the police's claims, stating: "The Israel Police issue a false statement to cover up the fact that police officers beat me and knowingly violated my parliamentary immunity.
המחאה בתל אביב: שוטר תועד דוחף בחוזקה את ח"כ לזימי - לפחות 5 מפגינים נעצרו עד כהח"כ לזימי בתגובה: "אלימות קשה. המשטרה לא יודעת מהי חסינות פרלמנטרית"@OrRavid pic.twitter.com/NXKzGPsjOo
— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) April 29, 2024
"You see in every video how I was clearly under attack when I went to check on the condition of the Shanir Dahan whose niece Carmel Gat was kidnapped in Gaza. The police lost all restraint today and added and invented a story to justify violence that breaks all the rules."
Plans for a hunger strike
Monday evening also saw plans for a hunger strike by bereaved families whose loved ones were killed in the war in Gaza but was postponed after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited the forum's representatives to a meeting Tuesday morning at his office in Jerusalem. Netanyahu will reportedly meet eight representatives at around noon, according to Ynet.
The representatives, in contrast to the demands of Monday evening's protesters in Tel Aviv, are expected to encourage the prime minister to proceed with the Rafah incursion.
Before Passover started, the forum's representatives announced that in light of international pressures and in delays in entering Rafah, they would begin a hunger strike starting at the end of the holiday until the IDF entered Rafah.