Booing and shouting erupted at a court hearing on Tuesday in Jerusalem, where judges reviewed petitions against the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet domestic security service.

The disruptions, which prompted an unplanned pause in the High Court of Justice’s hearing about Ronen Bar’s sacking, began with chants by relatives of soldiers who had died fighting in Gaza. The chanters shouted at the judges: “You don’t have the authority.”

The event underscored how Bar’s dismissal last month—and his remaining in office despite it—became the latest battleground in a broader political conflict between Israelis who recognize the legitimacy of the elected right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and those who seek judicial interventions against its mandate

Some of the bereaved families who interrupted the hearing said they blamed Ronen Bar for the failures that led to the death of their loved ones on Oct. 7, 2023, or in subsequent fighting.