Lapid tells crowds ‘there is only one thing that is important to Netanyahu — to stay in office,’ as demonstrators demand ‘elections now’; tent city erected outside parliament

Thousands of demonstrators packed streets outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on Sunday evening in a mass protest demanding the government resign, marking the first day in what is slated to be a four-day event.

The organizers of the protest called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to step down, for Israel to hold early elections, and for the country’s leaders to agree to a hostage deal that will bring about the release of the 130 captives held in Gaza since Hamas’s devastating October 7 attack on the country.

The gathering outside the Knesset was spearheaded by a coalition of anti-government protest movements, including the Kaplan Force and Brothers in Arms, who plan to hold four days of protests and gatherings in Jerusalem this week.