Israeli police forces used stun grenades to stop protesters from breaching police barricades in Tel Aviv during a nationwide “day of disruption” on 1 March, following weeks of demonstrations against government plans to overhaul the judiciary.

Police on horseback tried to quell the protests as traffic came to a halt on Wednesday in Israel’s second-largest city. Meanwhile, protesters chanted “shame” and “we are the majority, and we are out on the streets,” according to Reuters.

🧵 The occupation is entering the protest movement. In this video from @OrenZiv_ protestors in Tel Aviv are chanting to police "where were you in Huwara?" – comparing how they are being arrested and beaten, while settlers are allowed to murder Palestinians and burn their homes pic.twitter.com/TVvVUY7alH

— Haggai Matar (@Ha_Matar) March 1, 2023

In addition, Reshet Bet radio claimed that police were using water cannons against the protests.

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called protesters “Anarchists” and said that Israeli police would use all available means to end the rioting.

The judicial reform would give Netanyahu’s ruling coalition more control over picking judges while limiting the scope of the Supreme Court to strike down legislation.

Earlier, the Knesset’s Constitution, Justice, and Law Committee approved several more proposals for the planned overhaul.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently on trial over corruption charges, claims the reforms are needed to restore the balance between the government branches.

However, according to several polls, the plan is deeply unpopular among Israeli citizens.

While protests in Tel Aviv were dispersed with stun grenades, Israeli forces laid siege to the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in Jericho.

The military raid led to the arrest of five Palestinians and one killed during the operation. The military claimed it searched for Palestinians involved in the killing of an Israeli driver, Elan Ganeles, in a shooting attack two days prior, on 27 February.

During the raid, Israeli forces sealed off the camp and prevented ambulances and journalists from entering it while using a man and his child as human shields, WAFA news agency reported.

The director of the ambulance service in Jericho told Al-Jazeera that Israeli forces prevented his staff from treating the injured during the military operation.