Large protests took place on the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem motorway on Monday as anti-government activists launched a “day of disruption” to mark the start of the Knesset’s summer assembly.

Police clashed with the demonstrators, whose key demands included an early election amid the failure to bring home the hostages and disagreements over Charedi conscription legislation.

Members of the "Brothers in arms" protest calling for early elections and for the release of hostages on May 20, 2024. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 *** Local Caption *** אחים לנשק הפגנה כביש 1 ירושלים

Demonstrators were also rallying over the predicament of the tens of thousands of residents from the north and the south who remain displaced due to attacks from Hezbollah and Hamas, Times of Israel reported.

Protesters came from across Israel and convoys merged en route before starting to arrive in Jerusalem at around 2pm.

Monday's march towards the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90 *** Local Caption *** צעדה הפגנה ירושלים

The Brothers in Arms protest group, one of the many anti-government organisations, said that 13 of its members had been detained after an altercation with the police following an attempt to block traffic near the Sha’ar Hagai Junction on Route 1.

Protesters outside the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on May 20, 2024. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90 *** Local Caption *** צעדה הפגנה ירושלים

In a statement, Brothers in Arms said the protests were “the legacy of the government of destruction. Hostages in hell, burned homes and vehicles, abandonment of the residents of the north, time-wasting with the [Charedi conscription] evasion law, and political games at the expense of our forces.

“It is time for the public to rise up and for the government of destruction to disappear.”