Thousands take to streets in Israel to demand removal of Netanyahu

Tens of thousands of people across Israel joined families of hostages this weekend to protest against the government and call for the removal of Benjamin Netanyahu, as the Israeli prime minister grapples with one of the most serious threats yet to his coalition.

- Quique Kierszenbaum and Lorenzo Tondo 

The protesters in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Be'er Sheva, Caesarea and other cities on Saturday - and at a further protest outside the Knesset in Jerusalem last night - demanded the release of those still held captive by Hamas in Gaza for close to six months and labelled the prime minister an "obstacle to the deal", vowing to persist until he leaves power.

"It's been 176 days that I haven't turned a blind eye to the thoughts and fear of what my daughter and the other abductees are going through," said Shira Albag, the mother of the hostage Liri Albag. "The people of Israel won't forget or forgive anyone who prevents a deal that would bring them [the hostages] back to us. After 176 days, 4,224 hours, the excuses have run out."

Raz Ben-Ami, a former hostage freed nearly two months ago, said: "They [the hostages] won't last there, no one can survive what they go through there, believe me." 

Netanyahu is entering the most precarious week for his coalition since the war began as a deadline imposed by the Israeli supreme court to end the exemption for ultra-Orthodox men from military conscription is reached today.