Israel is rocked by second night of protests as huge crowds descend on the streets of Jerusalem demanding Netanyahu's removal

Israel has been rocked by a second night of protests after huge crowds descended on the streets of Jerusalem to demand Prime Minister Netanyahu's removal and an end to IDF conscription.

Police violently clashed with demonstrators again today as tens of thousands gathered across the country to share their rage at the Israeli prime minister and his handling of the war in Gaza that has so far left nearly 33,000 people, most of whom are civilians, dead.

Protesters also showed their anger at proposals to change existing government policy which grants ultra-Orthodox Jews exemptions from military conscription.

The decades-old rule is set to end today in a controversial move which has caused unrest among sections of Israeli society.

Demonstrators blocked a road near the parliament in Jerusalem continuing a four-day sit-in calling for the dissolution of the government and the return of Israeli hostages who have been held in Gaza since the attacks by Hamas on October 7.

Officers were seen dragging protesters, many holding Israel flags, out of the busy street while armed security forces stood guard nearby as tensions rose.

People could be seen banging drums and shouting through megaphones as they faced up to police in the area.

There were similar scenes at Bnei Brak, a major city northwest of Jerusalem, where ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered to protest against their upcoming conscription into the IDF (Israel Defence Forces).

For the first time in 76 years, Torah study cannot be used as an exemption to being drafted into the armed forces with plans for a more equitable draft law due to be revealed today.

Netanyahu, who relies heavily on the support of ultra-Orthodox parties, last week asked for an extension for this draft.

The Bank of Israel said in its annual report on Sunday that there could be economic damage if large numbers of ultra-Orthodox men continue not to serve in Israel's military.

Police horses surrounded groups of students blocking the road in the coastal city while armed guards patrolled the area.

Some officers grabbed youngsters by the collar and removed them from the scene.

This comes after a group of reservists and retired officers demonstrated in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood following growing resentment over exemptions for service based on religious grounds.

Members of the Brothers and Sisters in Arms, made up of current and former IDF members, clashed with ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighbourhood last night.

Police were forced to intervene as members of both sides began scraps with each other.

Earlier today suspected Israeli warplanes bombed the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, in a potential escalation of the war in Gaza.

Officials in Iran have said the attack killed seven military advisers including three senior commanders.

Emergency workers were seen clambering over the rubble of a destroyed building next to the main embassy building in the Syrian capital. 

Iran has promised to launch a 'harsh' retaliation against Israel after the airstrike

Since October 7 Israel has ramped up airstrikes in Syria against Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), both of which support the government of President Bashar al-Assad. 

Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said: 'We strongly condemn this atrocious terrorist attack that targeted the Iranian consulate building in Damascus and killed a number of innocents.'

Earlier this morning the IDF ended its two-week raid of Al-Shifa hospital, the largest hospital complex in Gaza.

Hundreds of people returned to the surrounding area after forces withdrew and found bodies inside and outside the facility.

There was no immediate comment from the military, which has described the raid as one of the most successful operations of the bloodiest conflict between itself and Hamas in decades.

The IDF said it killed at least 200 Hamas and other militant fighters, including senior operatives, and that it seized weapons, valuable intelligence and cash during the raid on the hospital.

But Al-Shifa, which was one of less than a dozen of the 36 hospitals still working in Gaza following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, has been left in ruins.

Photos show the facades of buildings being completely blown off, with broken glass and concrete on the ground around them.

Scorch marks can be seen streaked up the sides of medical buildings, and the centre courtyard, once home to a small green area with a gazebo in the middle, has been reduced to little more than ash and dust.

An overhead walkway that previously allowed staff and patients to go from one building to another without going outside was destroyed. Structural metal rods that once held the building together have been left gnarled and twisted.

Yesterday armed guards took extreme measures to get angry demonstrators under control across Israel, with photographers capturing brutal moments where cops dragged demonstrators across tarmac and beat them into submission.

Protests were held in cities including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, not only calling for the release of the estimated 130 people still held captive since October 7, but also for Netanyahu to be removed from power, following months of dissatisfaction.

The 74-year-old was last night undergoing surgery for a hernia that the hospital treating him said today was a success. Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem said Netanyahu was recovering, but did not immediately specify how long that might take.

But as he recovers, he will have to deal with the growing divisions within Israel, much of which his critics say stem from decisions he made.

Protesters blame Netanyahu for the failures of October 7 and say the deep political divisions over his attempted judicial overhaul last year weakened Israel ahead of the attack.

Netanyahu is facing a litany of corruption charges which are slowly making their way through the courts, and critics say his decisions with regard to the bloody war in Gaza appear to be focused on political survival over the national interest.

Many family members of hostages, and even hostages themselves, have called on him to resign and allow national elections to take place, having previously refrained from publicly denouncing Netanyahu to avoid antagonizing the leadership and making the hostages' plight a political issue. 

Netanyahu, in a nationally televised speech before undergoing hernia surgery on Sunday, said he understood families' pain. But he said calling new elections - in what he described as a moment before victory - would paralyze Israel for six to eight months and stall the hostage talks. 

In his Sunday address, Netanyahu also repeated his vow for a military ground offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than half of territory's population of 2.3 million now shelters after fleeing fighting elsewhere. 'There is no victory without going into Rafah,' he said.

Opinion polls show Netanyahu and his coalition trailing far behind their rivals if elections were held today. 

But unless his governing coalition falls apart sooner, Netanyahu won't face elections until spring of 2026. 

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border on October 7 and rampaged across southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and dragging around 250 hostages back to Gaza. More than 100 captives were freed last year in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Israel responded to the assault with one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history, one that has driven around 80% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million from their homes.

The United Nations and partners have warned that famine could occur in devastated, largely isolated northern Gaza as early as this month. Humanitarian officials say deliveries by sea and air are not enough and that Israel must allow far more aid by road. The top UN court has ordered Israel to open more land crossings and take other measures to address the crisis.

Gaza's Health Ministry said on Sunday that at least 32,782 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, including 77 whose bodies were brought to hospitals over the last 24 hours.

The ministry's count does not differentiate between civilians and fighters, but it has said that women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.

Israel says over one-third of the dead are militants, though it has not provided evidence to support that, and it blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the group operates in residential areas.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to broker another ceasefire and hostage release since January. Hamas is demanding that any such agreement leads to an end to the war and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those demands and says Israel will keep fighting until it has destroyed Hamas's military and governing capabilities. But he is under growing pressure to reach a deal from the families of the hostages, some of whom have joined mass demonstrations calling for early elections to replace him.

Ceasefire talks resumed in Cairo on Sunday, but there is little expectation of any breakthrough.