Jerusalem, Jan 24 (AP) Over a thousand protesters gathered in Jerusalem for weekly demonstrations demanding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu step down over corruption charges, as smaller protests were staged at intersections and bridges across the country.

Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three cases involving billionaire associates and media moguls.

He denies wrongdoing, but the protesters say he cannot run the country properly while under indictment.

The protests have taken place each week since last summer, primarily at a Jerusalem square near Netanyahu's official residence, and continued despite lower turnout in the cold winter nights.

In March, Israel will hold its fourth national election in less than two years, and Netanyahu is facing further challenges from defectors within his Likud party.

The government's handling of the coronavirus crisis has also fuelled the protests.

With the country's third lockdown still in place, Israel's economy has been hit hard by virus restrictions amid surging infection rates.

By Saturday, more than 2.5 million of Israel's 9 million population had received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine amid Israel's world-leading inoculation drive, which Netanyahu has placed at the centre of his reelection campaign.

However, this appears to have done little to restrain the protests. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)