"Police are dealing with an illegal protest in the vicinity of Tel Aviv … Police have detained 12 demonstrators involved in disrupting public order," the service said late on Thursday.
At the same time, Israeli media reported that a light passenger vehicle hit the demostrators in Tel Aviv, but the police, however, have not commented on the matter.
Police spokesman Mikhail Zingerman said that the demonstrations that took place on Wednesday escalated into clashes with the security forces. As a result, two protesters were detained over assaulting policemen.
Last Friday, new coronavirus restrictions came into force in Israel, tightening the ongoing lockdown, which has been recently extended by the government until 14 October.
On Wednesday, Israel’s Knesset approved in the second and third readings an amendment to the coronavirus law allowing to limit protests over the disease. The amendment read that no more than 20 people, who live within one kilometer (0.6 miles) of a rally scene, can participate in the meeting.
Israel has been gripped by anti-government demonstrations since July, with citizens calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down, citing public dissatisfaction with the authorities’ response to COVID-19 and consequences of the pandemic, primarily the ongoing economic crisis. The tensions have been exacerbated by the second infection-related lockdown introduced on September 18.
