
Thousands of citizens gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday in a major protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, just three days before Israel's general elections, which are seen as a key test of his political leadership.
The protest was organized by the October Council, a group formed by the families of victims and hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which led to the start of the war in Gaza. The families are demanding that the failures of the Israeli authorities to prevent the attack be investigated and that those responsible be held accountable.
According to an AFP journalist, thousands of protesters marched from the central Rabin Square towards Hostage Square, which has become a major point of previous protests against the government and in support of the release of hostages held in Gaza.
"The person who has led us for the past four years has done a terrible job," 68-year-old Hadas Feuerstein told AFP shortly before the rally began. She added that Israel has never been in such a difficult situation as the current one.
Organizers also warned police of the possibility of provocations by people supporting the government. The October Council announced that it had sent an urgent letter to the police commissioner, following information about possible attempts by people affiliated with the ruling coalition to disrupt the protest.
The rally comes after years of demands from civil society and opposition parties in Israel for the creation of an independent investigative commission, which will examine the security failures that allowed the October 7, 2023 attack.