Thousands of protesters gathered Saturday night in Habima Square in central Tel Aviv for a demonstration against the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for early elections and the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Demonstrators marched from several locations across the city to the square, chanting against the government and opposing any move to grant Netanyahu immunity. Protesters shouted “shame” and “disgrace” as they named cabinet ministers and lawmakers, including Education Minister Yoav Kisch.
Among the speakers was Carmit Palty Katzir, whose brother Elad was killed while held hostage by Hamas. She accused Netanyahu of abandoning hostages to their deaths and said he had transformed a national ideological movement into “a cult that worships one leader.”
“We have one hostage left in Gaza, Ran Gvili,” she said. “We must bring him home immediately. Netanyahu said we sanctify life, but he enabled countless deaths, including my brother’s.”
Palty Katzir said Netanyahu is not seeking forgiveness but an end to legal proceedings against him. “He wants to be above the law, to rule without checks, balances or restraints,” she said, adding that despite fear, she felt obligated to speak out for her children’s future and in memory of the victims of Oct. 7. She cited Kibbutz Nir Oz, where 117 residents were killed or abducted.
Eyal Eshel, whose daughter Roni Eshel, an observation soldier, was killed at the Nahal Oz base during the Hamas assault, warned against reports of a possible “package deal” that would include immunity in exchange for establishing a state commission of inquiry.
“This is crossing a red line,” Eshel said. “There will be no immunity for those whose failures led to disaster.”
Eshel said bereaved families are demanding a full, independent state commission of inquiry and accused the government of attempting to delay accountability through alternative investigative frameworks.
Ron Sharaf, a leader of the Brothers and Sisters in Arms protest movement, said the government views the liberal public as an enemy and warned the country is facing a defining struggle.
“This is a fight over Israel’s future — whether it will remain a Jewish, democratic and liberal state, or become extremist, messianic and failed,” he said.
Sharaf criticized proposed legislation related to military exemptions, saying it threatens both the Israel Defense Forces and social cohesion. He urged the public to safeguard fair elections and resist what he described as efforts to weaken democratic institutions.
Moshe Radman Abutbul, one of the leaders of the protest movement, called the current government the worst in Israel’s history, accusing it of waging a prolonged, politicized war while failing to secure the return of hostages. He said dozens of captives abducted alive later died in captivity.
Radman Abutbul said the crisis did not begin in 2023 but reflects deeper societal failures. He warned that Israel faces a stark choice between a liberal democracy with an independent judiciary and a theocratic, authoritarian future.
The rally followed similar weekly demonstrations across the country as pressure mounts on Netanyahu over the handling of the war, the fate of the hostages and growing demands for political accountability.