“Israel is and will remain a democracy,” Prime Minister Netanyahu told opposition lawmakers Wednesday, rejecting claims his government is eroding the rule of law. Meanwhile, thousands protested outside the Knesset as lawmakers moved toward final votes on a contentious judicial bill.

For the second consecutive day, rare and growing protests spread across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as thousands of residents took to the streets to demand that Hamas immediately end the war with Israel and relinquish control over Gaza.

Defying fierce opposition, the coalition pushed the 2025 budget through its final Knesset reading on Tuesday, averting a political crisis and securing a crucial victory for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Failure to pass the budget by the March 31 deadline would have automatically triggered new elections, threatening the government’s survival.

In a rare and courageous act of defiance, Gazan civilians have taken to the streets to protest against Hamas, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defense Forces conducted dozens of airstrikes late Sunday and Monday, destroying over 100 Hamas-owned white pick-up trucks in Gaza, some used in the October 7 terror attack and others for transporting weapons.

Several senior Hamas officials have been killed in recent airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s military and intelligence sources confirm.

Israel escalated its military campaign in Gaza on Sunday, targeting Rafah and ordering civilians to evacuate Tel Sultan. This marks the first reoccupation of a major area in Gaza since fighting resumed on March 18, as well as announcing a key Hamas terrorist was eliminated on a targeted airstrike.

Israel’s Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction Friday halting the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, just hours after the cabinet voted to remove him by April 10. Responding to the order, Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote on X: “There will be no civil war! Israel is a state of law, and the government decides who leads the Shin Bet.”

Thousands of people protested outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday night while his cabinet unanimously voted early Friday to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

Senior US and Israeli officials are set to hold high level talks concerning Iran’s nuclear program next week in Washingtons.

Israel announced Wednesday it has sent troops back into Gaza with a “focused ground operation,” in central and southern Gaza over the past 24 hours, aiming to broaden security zones and create a partial buffer between northern and southern Gaza.

Thousands of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, the renewed war in Gaza, and his plans to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

Hamas says that Israeli strikes have killed the head of its government in Gaza, where Hamas-controlled authorities claimed Israel’s actions killed more than 400 people.

Israel launched a surprise operation in Gaza, on Tuesday night targeting 80 locations simultaneously lasting less than ten minutes fulfilling Israeli leaders’ warnings that they would unleash the “gates of hell” unless all hostages were released.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said Tuesday that Israeli strikes across the territory have killed at least 200 people and that the death toll continues to rise.