Former chief of staff forcibly removed from Caesarea protest amid nationwide demonstrations

Demonstrators, including former IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz and Brig.-Gen Amir Haskel, laid down on the road leading to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's house in a protest in Caesarea and were forcibly removed by Israeli police, according to Israeli media.

שוטרים מפנים באלימות את רא"ל (מיל.) דן חלוץ מחסימת הכביש בקיסריה ומשליכים אותו ארצה. מיד אחר שמשליכים אותו אחד השוטרים מכה צלם שתיעד את הארוע בני משי Benny Meshy pic.twitter.com/eR9Rtfe4p6

— אלימות ישראל (@Alimut_Israel) September 21, 2024

Israelis held nationwide protests for the hostages on Saturday night, driven by frustration over stalled negotiations and their ongoing captivity in Gaza, with demonstrators demanding government action and accountability.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum organized protests across the country, including in Jerusalem, Caesarea, Rehovot, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Netanya, and Ha’ogen Junction, with a central stage in Tel Aviv.

During the protests in Caesarea, two demonstrators were injured and evacuated by Magen David Adom for further medical treatment, according to Israeli media reports.

Protesting with fire

Israel Police stated that demonstrators lit fires in the Tel Aviv area and resisted police efforts to extinguish them. During a march on Namir Street, a suspect was arrested for allegedly rolling a tire into the crowd to set it on fire.

The police emphasized that "the right to protest ends where criminal actions, violence, and vandalism begin," asserting that the right to protest does not include arson, blocking main roads, or attacking police.