Wearing face masks and keeping two metres apart, thousands of Israelis protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday while maintaining the country's strict Covid-19 social distancing rules.

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Protest organisers marked spots on the ground for demonstrators to stand in to ensure social distancing rules were followed.

Netanyahu is currently negotiating a deal with political rival Benny Gantz to form a coalition government.

Protesters called on Gantz to reject the deal with Netanyahu, who is under criminal indictment in three corruption cases while criticising the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has included phone-tracking of civilians by intelligence agencies.

"We are fighting for everything and anything that is essential to the future of this country and our children,” Yair Lapid, an opposition lawmaker at the rally, told Reuters.”

"The Israeli democracy and the way this government in its sloppiness is handling the corona crisis.”

Israel has reported more than 13,000 Covid-19 cases and 172 deaths but Netanyahu announced on Sunday that some of the country’s lockdown restrictions would be eased.

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