Israeli doctors join nationwide protests against Gaza war

According to the Israeli daily Israel Hayom, as internal protests against the war-driven policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continue to mount, dozens of doctors this morning (Tuesday) blocked North Ayalon Street in Tel Aviv, calling on the Israeli cabinet to reach an agreement with Hamas to end the war and free Israeli captives.

The report said that with the intervention of security police, the doctors’ strike on Ayalon turned violent. Officers attempted to disperse the protest and arrested two of the participants on charges of “disturbing internal security” and “disrupting public order.”

The striking doctors, opposing the continuation of the Gaza war, joined a broader wave of protests in which different segments of Israeli society have been demonstrating daily and blocking streets in opposition to Netanyahu’s war policies.

In a related development, on Sunday, a large number of high school students set fire to school benches on Ayalon and announced that they would boycott classes until the captives are returned and the war ends. They also declared they would not allow schools to reopen until their demands are met.