Protests, Gaza, Hezbollah: ‘All hangs by a thread’

Demand for an end to the war in Gaza is erupting into widespread protests across Israel, as fears increase of a catastrophic war in the north.

US officials said this week that they were afraid Hezbollah could overwhelm Israel’s Iron Dome security system, with its stockpile of an estimated 150,000 missiles supplied by Iran.

Tens of thousands of Israelis in dozens of locales participated in anti-government protests on Saturday night, demanding new elections and the return of hostages held in Gaza.

In Tel Aviv protests turned violent, three people were arrested and the Israel's Public Defender's Office condemned "widespread" excessive use of force by Israel's police against protesters.

The office released a statement on Sunday saying that the violence evident in footage taken during anti-government protests "wounds the body and soul and tramples human rights", and that it "harms every part of Israeli society and results in loss of trust in law enforcement".

Protesters have been taking to the streets every Saturday night for months against the government’s handling of the war against Hamas.

This week, David Grossman, one of Israel’s best-known authors, called on Israelis to fill the streets with demonstrations and to fight for their country, in a poem he read to protesters.

“There’s someone and something to fight for. For such a gift, from life, we will nevermore receive… Now’s the time to rise, to live. To be a people or not to be. To be people or not to be… All hangs by a thread,” he read.