The rally was organised by the October Council, a group formed by families of people killed or taken hostage during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack. The organisation is demanding an independent investigation into the security failures that allowed the assault to take place.
According to Israeli media, leaders of the four main opposition parties attended the demonstration, including former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, a key challenger to Netanyahu who received a warm welcome from the crowd.
In a statement on X ahead of the rally, the October Council said the demonstration marked three years of campaigning to uncover the truth, establish accountability and secure the creation of a state commission of inquiry.
Opinion polls published before a blackout on political polling took effect late on Friday indicated that neither major political bloc was expected to win a majority in Israel’s 120-seat parliament.
A poll published by public broadcaster KAN projected 52 seats for Eisenkot’s bloc and 50 for Netanyahu’s, with the remaining seats expected to go to parties outside the two blocs, including Arab parties.
An AFP reporter saw thousands of protesters marching from Rabin Square towards Hostages Square, which has served as a focal point for previous demonstrations demanding the release of people held captive in Gaza.
“Whoever has been leading us for the past four years has done such a terrible job,” Hadas Feuershtein, 68, told AFP before the demonstration, referring to Netanyahu’s government, which took office in late 2022.
She added that Israel had never faced a situation like the current one.
Before the rally, the October Council warned law enforcement agencies about possible provocations by pro-government demonstrators.
Israeli police said they had arrested a suspect on Saturday evening for allegedly assaulting the security team of a public figure in Tel Aviv. Israeli media identified the individual as former prime minister and opposition leader Naftali Bennett.
The demonstration followed years of campaigning by civil society groups and opposition parties for an independent inquiry into the security failures surrounding the October 7 attack.
Netanyahu’s government has refused to establish an independent state commission of inquiry, a mechanism Israel has previously used to investigate major national failures. Instead, it has proposed a political commission whose members would be appointed equally by governing coalition and opposition lawmakers.
Opposition leaders have said they would boycott any commission appointed by politicians.
As the election campaign enters its final days, Eisenkot and Bennett are expected to hold separate meetings with voters in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening.
The protests also came amid controversy over Netanyahu’s proposal for Israel to develop an alternative digital economy to counter growing international isolation.
Naama Bitterman, an 18-year-old first-time voter attending Saturday’s rally, said she believed the anti-Netanyahu bloc would win and improve Israel’s international standing.
She argued that Israel’s global reputation had suffered because of years of conflict in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, alongside increasing violence in the occupied West Bank.
Bitterman said an opposition victory could change how people around the world viewed Israel.
Britain and several other countries have imposed sanctions targeting goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank amid concerns about settler violence against Palestinians and settlement expansion approved by Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
On Friday, Netanyahu suggested that Israel might need to develop an alternative digital economy to address its growing international isolation. He also warned that multibillion-dollar arms packages from Israel’s key ally, the United States, might not continue indefinitely.
Opposition leaders criticised the proposals.
Eisenkot sarcastically referred to the proposed alternative digital currency as “bbCoin”, using a common nickname for Netanyahu.
In a post on X, Eisenkot warned that another Netanyahu government could lead to Israel becoming disconnected from the global economy, affecting online shopping, high-tech investment and national security.
Former prime minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid also criticised Netanyahu’s remarks, arguing that another term could expose Israel to further sanctions, jeopardise security agreements with the United States and damage its economy.
