Thousands rally in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu ahead of vote

On Saturday, thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv for a substantial anti-government demonstration, three days prior to the general election seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protest, organized by the October Council, aimed to demand accountability for the failure to prevent the Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war in 2023.

Notably, opposition leaders Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett participated in the rally, receiving a warm welcome from the crowd. The October Council called for a commission of inquiry to uncover the truth, demand accountability, and establish an independent body, which Netanyahu's government has refused to create. The latest polls indicated that neither the opposition bloc nor Netanyahu's would secure a parliamentary majority, with 52 seats going to Eisenkot's and 50 to Netanyahu's, the rest to non-aligned parties.

Demonstrator Hadas Feuershtein expressed her disappointment, stating that Israel had never been in such a dire situation. The police announced the arrest of a suspect for assaulting the security team of a public figure, believed to be former Prime Minister and opposition leader Naftali Bennett. The rally followed years of advocacy by Israeli civil society and opposition parties to establish an independent inquiry into security failures leading to the Oct 7 attack.

As the campaign concluded, opposition leaders anticipated a significant victory for the anti-Netanyahu bloc, confident that it would improve Israel's international standing.