To mark 600 days since the October 7 massacre and the start of the war, Israelis staged demonstrations across the country on Wednesday morning.
The sites of the demonstrations include Kibbutz Mishmarot near Pardes Hanna, at the Kfar Blum junction in the Upper Galilee, in the Emek Hefer region (in the moshavim of Kfar Yedidia, Beit Herut, and Hadar Am), and in Beersheba. Meanwhile, dozens of hostage supporters blocked the major southbound Ayalon Highway at the Shalom Interchange.
Marking the 600th day of the war across the country
Blocking the Ayalon Highway on the 600th day of war
(Video: Snow)
The families of the October Council arrived at the home of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana in Tel Aviv to present a draft bill calling for the dissolution of the Knesset, demanding immediate elections and the establishment of a state commission of inquiry. Several bereaved families, who said Ohana has refused to meet with them, gave speeches outside his home. Reut Hecht Edri, the mother of Lt. Ido Edri—who escaped the Nova music festival, returned to fight, and was killed—said, “You came to my son’s funeral and cried. Today I’ve come to your home, but you refuse to meet me.”
The October Council said in a statement: “We came to the Speaker's home because this is where change can begin. We tried everything to avoid reaching this point, but the government has turned its back on us and openly declared it will not investigate the greatest disaster in Israel’s history. So on Day 600, at the exact time the attack began, we launched a new campaign: a call to dissolve the Knesset and hold immediate elections that will bring forth a new government committed to transparency, accountability, and truth.”
“We are not a political group,” the council added. “We are parents, children, survivors and families who lost everything—and we demand answers. Every delay is obstruction of the investigation. Every day without a state inquiry is another day of burying the truth. Our role is to shorten this obstruction period as much as possible.”
Meanwhile, members of Brothers in Arms placed burned-out vehicle frames along Route 1, symbolizing what they called “the day Israel abandoned its citizens on October 7” and a continued abandonment of the 58 hostages still held by Hamas.
Demonstration at Kibbutz Mishmarot
(Video: Shai Perry - Drone Photographer)
“It is inconceivable,” they said, “that 600 days after the greatest disaster in the country’s history, Israel remains trapped in a prolonged war. A government that continues to abandon its citizens has lost all legitimacy. We will not normalize a prime minister who disrespects human life, who abandoned his people, and who is dismantling state institutions to preserve his coalition.”