Tel Aviv protest demands inquiry into October 7 failures before Israel vote

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand accountability from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government before Israel’s parliamentary election on Tuesday. The demonstration was organised by the October Council, a group founded by families of people killed or taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023. Participants marched from Rabin Square toward Hostages Square, a focal point of earlier protests calling for the release of captives in Gaza.

The central demand was an independent state commission of inquiry into the security failures that allowed the attack to take place. Netanyahu has refused to establish such a body, according to ABC News Australia and France 24. His government has instead proposed a political commission whose members would be appointed equally by governing coalition and opposition lawmakers.

Opposition leaders have said they would boycott that proposed arrangement, arguing that an investigation into failures by the state should not be controlled by politicians. The October Council said the rally marked the culmination of three years of campaigning to establish the truth and assign responsibility. Several people who spoke to ABC described the issue as extending beyond the inquiry itself.

They said Netanyahu’s government had failed to accept responsibility and that Israel’s democracy was under threat. Mali Zender, whose daughter Noa was killed on October 7 and who treated returning hostages as a nurse, said the country could not move forward without examining what happened. Rabbi Elchanan Danino, whose son Uri was abducted and killed in Hamas captivity, said an inquiry would not bring the victims home but was necessary for future generations and for soldiers serving in the conflict.

The rally repeatedly heard cries of “shame”, according to ABC. Opposition figures including Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Liberman, Yair Lapid and Yair Golan attended the demonstration. France 24 reported that pre-election polling showed Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc and Eisenkot’s centre-right bloc effectively neck and neck, with neither projected to win a parliamentary majority.

The October Council warned police about possible attempts by pro-government groups to disrupt the event. The supplied reports do not say whether any disruption occurred. They also do not establish the rally’s size with precision: ABC described tens of thousands, while France 24 referred to thousands.

The election on Tuesday will test whether the protest movement’s demand for accountability translates into support for a change of government.