Israel’s Police Chief, Kobi Shabtai, has issued a stern warning against protests in support of Gaza within Israel. He threatened to send anti-war demonstrators to Gaza, which has been under daily bombardment by Israel for almost two weeks.
The remarks were captured in a video posted on the Israeli police’s TikTok channel and later covered by Israeli media. This followed the police’s intervention in a rally in Haifa supporting Gaza, where six people were arrested.
“Whoever wants to become an Israeli citizen, welcome,” Shabtai stated. “Anyone who wants to identify with Gaza is welcome. I will put them on the buses heading there now.”
In the brief video, Shabtai also emphasized that there would be “zero tolerance for any instance of incitement… there will be no authorization for protests.” He underscored that Israel was currently “in a state of war” and would not permit people to challenge its stance.
According to the Israel Police spokesman, Eli Levy, 63 individuals in Israel have been arrested on suspicion of supporting or inciting “terror” since the beginning of the Gaza war on October 7.
Police officials disclosed that they are closely monitoring social media to identify Palestinians in Israel expressing support for Hamas, the group governing the besieged Gaza Strip.
Israel has imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off access to essentials such as food, water, electricity, and fuel for the 2.3 million residents after Hamas fighters in Gaza launched an attack into southern Israel on October 7. Israeli authorities claim that this attack resulted in at least 1,400 casualties, mostly civilians, with over 4,400 injured and 199 individuals taken captive by Hamas.
Following the attack, Israel launched an extensive air campaign in Gaza, devastating entire neighborhoods and leading to Palestinian authorities reporting over 3,400 deaths and more than 12,000 wounded in the Israeli assault.
Assistant Commissioner Dror Asraf explained that Israel had established a “war room” to counter online incitement or any operational information aimed at disrupting public order or causing harm, learning from experiences during the 2021 conflict with Gaza.
Meanwhile, the ethics panel of the Israeli parliament voted to suspend left-wing parliament member Ofer Cassif for statements deemed anti-Israel in the wake of the recent conflict. Cassif had accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of pursuing a plan in Gaza that he likened to the Nazis’ “Final Solution.” In another instance, he stated that “Israel wanted this violence” in reference to the Hamas attack. According to the Jerusalem Post, Cassif has been suspended for 45 days.
In response to the decision, Cassif described it as “another nail in the coffin of freedom of political expression.” He clarified that his statements were not against Israel as a whole but against the occupation and the war, emphasizing his condemnation of the actions by Hamas.
This revised article summarizes the key points of the original text while providing a neutral and factual account of the situation.