Israel anti-government protests flare after dismissal of security agency chief

23/3/2025 6:25

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday against the decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service and resume fighting in Gaza.



Netanyahu said this week he had lost confidence in Ronen Bar, who has led Shin Bet since 2021, and intended to fire him effective April 10, prompting three days of protests.



Israel's Supreme Court issued an injunction on Friday temporarily freezing the dismissal.



Netanyahu has dismissed accusations the decision was politically motivated, but his critics have accused him of undermining the institutions underpinning Israel's democracy by seeking Bar's removal.



Israel returned to war in Gaza this week, shattering a ceasefire that saw the exchange of hostages being held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and brought respite to the battered enclave.