By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir was kicked out on Friday from a beach in Tel Aviv by dozens of Israelis.

The far-right minister had apparently just arrived with family members when a group of beachgoers started yelling at him to leave the beach.

“You are a murderer, you are a terrorist, and because of you, the hostages are dying in Gaza; how dare you walk on the beach?” one Israeli was heard telling Ben-Gvir in videos circulating online.

The minister was later escorted away by security forces.

The Times of Israel reported that an Israeli woman was arrested and questioned for throwing a handful of sand at the far-right minister.

This is not the first incident in which Ben-Gvir is attacked by Israelis who see him as staunchly opposing a ceasefire agreement and a swap deal between Israel and the resistance movements in the Gaza Strip.  

Angry Israelis expelled National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from a beach in Tel Aviv calling him "Murderer".

"You are walking in the sea here while the kidnapped are killed in Gaza" pic.twitter.com/lM6QDgI5va

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) September 6, 2024

Ben-Gvir against a Deal

The far-right minister urged on September 4 an end to Tel Aviv’s involvement in ceasefire negotiations with the Palestinian Resistance as well as the halt of electricity and fuel to the Gaza Strip.

“Working to stop the negotiations with Hamas, Ben-Gvir said on X. 

“A country that murders six hostages in cold blood does not negotiate with the murderers but stops the negotiations, stops supplying them with fuel and electricity, and crushes them until they give up,” he added in reference to the six captives who were allegedly found by Israel’s occupation army in a tunnel in Rafah, south of Gaza.

Israel accused the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas of their killing while Hamas confirmed in a statement that the detainees were killed in the ongoing Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip.

‘Working to Stop Negotiations with Hamas’ – Ben-Gvir Demands End to Ceasefire Talks

Hamas had previously stated that dozens of detainees were killed by Israeli bombings across the Strip during the 11-month genocidal war.

Israel estimates that over 100 captives are still held by Hamas in Gaza, some of whom are believed to have been already killed.

For months, the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire as well as allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Protests for Exchange Deal

The discovery of the six bodies has led to increased protests in Israel, with growing accusations against Netanyahu for obstructing prisoner exchange and ceasefire negotiations.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have demonstrated across Israel over the last couple of months to demand a prisoner swap deal with the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip.

Mobilization and General Strike – What Do Protests in Israel Reveal about Netanyahu’s Regime?

The peak of these protests by the families of captives in Gaza took place on September 2 when a general strike hit the country with Israel’s largest and most influential trade union Histadrut calling for it to pressure the government into a ceasefire deal.

Histadrut Labor Federation chief Arnon Bar-David announced September 1 a general strike in response to the failure to secure the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

Gaza’s Ongoing Genocide

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 40,878 Palestinians have been killed, and 94,454 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

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Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety. 

(PC, Anadolu)