Protesters gather outside Israeli PM's office in Jerusalem

Thousands of Israelis protested outside the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem Saturday as summer-long demonstrations against Benjamin Netanyahu maintained their momentum.

The protesters want the embattled Netanyahu to give up his post while he is on trial for corruption charges.He has rejected calls to step down and claimed the protests are the work of leftists and the media.The government's mishaps in handling the coronavirus crisis after relative success in its early stages has also fueled the demonstrations.

Israel appeared to contain the pandemic in its first phase during the spring, but the quick reopening of the economy led to a spike in cases.Over 100,000 Israelis have tested positive for the virus. The pandemic has caused unemployment numbers to hover over 20%.Netanyahu was charged last year with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three long-running corruption investigations.

(Image Credit: AP)