Glass Bottle Thrown at Netanyahu's Motorcade During Birthday Visit, Hostage Families Voice Anger

An attack targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's motorcade took place in Jerusalem as he travelled to mark his 77th birthday. On Thursday night, a glass bottle was thrown at the moving motorcade on a road near the Mahane Yehuda market area of the city.

The Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post confirmed the incident in a report. The bottle-throwing has sparked fresh discussion about security around the prime minister's visit.

Considering the security risk at the moment of the attack, Netanyahu's motorcade left the area quickly without stopping. The report said the decision was to leave promptly rather than halt the convoy to deal with the situation on the spot.

However, the special guards responsible for the prime minister's security immediately crossed road dividers and barricades and began efforts to identify the attacker. Finding the person who threw the bottle was their immediate objective.

According to media reports, when Netanyahu reached the Mahane Yehuda market, he and his wife Sara were welcomed by supporters of the ruling Likud party. While he received a warm reception there, the picture elsewhere on the visit was completely different.

Earlier, at Tel Aviv's Hatikva market, Netanyahu faced intense discontent from ordinary citizens and victims' families. When a man tried to film a video raising questions about funding for Hamas, party supporters reportedly confronted him, snatched his mobile phone and physically assaulted him.

Taking part in that protest were family members of those killed and taken hostage in the October 7, 2023 attack. They demanded Netanyahu's immediate resignation, accepting responsibility for the security failure.

Among the protesters were Michel Iluz, father of killed hostage Guy Iluz; Gil Dickman, a relative of Carmel Gat; and Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker. They voiced their anger against the prime minister at the scene.

The bereaved relatives said party workers behaved aggressively towards them, spat at them and threw vegetables at them. Police later dispersed the protesters and removed them from the area.

Michel Iluz strongly condemned the treatment of the grieving families. He called on the Israeli public to make the right decision through the ballot in the upcoming election.

Altogether, the birthday visit remained in discussion for the supporters' welcome on one side, and on the other the hostage families' fierce protest and the bottle thrown at the motorcade. The incidents once again brought to the fore the divisions surrounding the prime minister inside Israel.