Mass anti-government protests were held on Saturday in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, with demonstrators demanding its resignation and the formation of an official commission of inquiry into the events of October 7, 2023, Israeli media reported.
Tel Aviv’s Habima Square was the main centre of the protests, where thousands gathered under heavy police presence, according to The Times of Israel.
Protesters raised slogans criticising the government’s handling of captives who were held in the Gaza Strip, and called for the protection of judicial independence amid Supreme Court deliberations on an investigation into the failures that led to the October 7 attack.
Hundreds also demonstrated in Jerusalem, while around 1 000 protesters gathered at Haifa’s Horev Centre. Other protests were reported in several parts of the country.
The demonstrations were organised by the Movement for Quality Government anti-corruption watchdog, along with other civil society groups.
Netanyahu has so far refused to establish a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack, arguing that a committee would be biased against him.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and his now-former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. – AA