Hundreds of Israelis protest continuing war against Lebanon

Hundreds of Israelis protested Saturday against their government’s continuing war against Lebanon, gathering in the northern city of Haifa to demand an end to the fighting, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth Hebrew newspaper.

The newspaper said hundreds gathered at the Horev Junction with anti-government banners to demand an end to the war.

Similar protests were held at the Karkur Junction in the Wadi Ara area southeast of Haifa, where hundreds took part.

The demonstrations come amid growing criticism inside Israel about the government’s handling of the war and its consequences.

But an opinion poll published by Israeli media last week showed 77% of Israelis support continuing the offensive against Lebanon, while 12% favor ending the conflict. Another 11% had no opinion.

The protests also came as Israel continued violations of a 10-day ceasefire with Hezbollah that took effect at midnight Friday local time.

On Saturday, the Israeli army claimed it had detected people violating the ceasefire understandings in southern Lebanon during the previous 24 hours, and said it carried out several strikes and destroyed infrastructure in response.

Since March 2, Israel has waged an offensive on Lebanon that has killed more than 2,294 people, wounded 7,544 and displaced over 1 million, according to the latest official figures from Lebanon.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref