Netanyahu to undergo hernia surgery as protesters in Jerusalem march against Israeli PM’s government

“I assure you that I will get through this treatment successfully and return to action very quickly,” Netanyahu told reporters.

It was Israel’s deadliest single day and the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Israel then launched an air, sea and ground offensive in Gaza, with the declared aim of ending Hamas’ rule there and dismantling its military capabilities.

More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war and Israel has faced intense and growing international pressure over the death toll and the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

‘Excuses are over’: pressure mounts on Netanyahu as Gaza hostage protests widen

Netanyahu’s popularity, already down over the judicial crisis, has weakened further since the war, with successive opinion polls showing little faith in his leadership and a defeat by more centrist rivals if an election were held.

With around 130 hostages still in Gaza, there have been steady protests against Netanyahu’s government over its failure to get them home. The government is facing a new crisis over exemptions of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service, an issue that is splitting opinion within the prime minister’s own cabinet.

Now in his sixth term, Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving leader. He is also the country’s first sitting premier to be indicted with corruption. His trial is still ongoing and he denies any wrongdoing.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin will be standing in for Netanyahu during the operation on Sunday, his office said.

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Israeli forces open fire on crowd of Palestinians seeking aid,, as Gaza death toll surpasses 30,000

Israeli forces open fire on crowd of Palestinians seeking aid,, as Gaza death toll surpasses 30,000

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Jerusalem on Sunday against Netanyahu’s government and against exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service, in scenes reminiscent of mass street protests last year.

Protest groups, including some that led the mass demonstrations that rocked Israel in 2023, organised the rally outside parliament, the Knesset, calling for a new election to replace the government.

The protesters also want a more equal share in the burden of army service that binds most Israelis. Around 600 soldiers have been killed so far since October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, the military’s highest casualty toll in years.

Israel’s N12 News said it appeared to be the largest demonstration since the war began. Haaretz and Ynet news sites said it drew tens of thousands of people.

Netanyahu’s cabinet has faced widespread criticism over security failures.

“This government is a complete and utter failure,” said 74-year-old Nurit Robinson, at the rally. “They will lead us into the abyss.”

Israel’s war in the Palestinian enclave has aggravated a long-standing source of friction in society that is also unsettling Netanyahu’s coalition government – exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students from service in the country’s conscript military.

With a March 31 deadline looming for the government to come up with legislation to resolve a decades-long stand-off over the issue, Netanyahu filed a last-minute application to the Supreme Court last week or a 30-day deferment.

In an apparent accommodation, the Supreme Court gave government officials until April 30 to submit additional arguments. But, in an interim ruling, it also ordered a suspension of state funding for seminary students who would be liable for conscription from Monday.

Israel’s Netanyahu approves new Gaza ceasefire talks with Hamas ‘in coming days’

Protesters were waving blue and white Israeli flags and chanting “elections now”.

At a news conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said he was confident a solution will be found. He also said that holding an election at the height of war, when he said Israel was so close to victory, would paralyse the country for months.

In Tel Aviv, some families of hostages and their supporters, blocked a main motorway, protesting against what they described as Netanyahu’s failure to return their loved ones.