Thousands rally in Tel Aviv for an October 7 state inquiry as polls near

Thousands of people gathered in central Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to demand a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led massacre of October 7, in one of the last large public events before Israelis go to the polls. Ynet reported that the rally at Hostages Square was led by the October Council, and that opposition figures Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Liberman and Yair Golan were among those who attended.

The evening appears to have unfolded in two stages. N12 reported that a rally organised by Golan's party, the Democrats, was held first at Rabin Square, after which participants walked together to Hostages Square for the October Council event. Political commentator Amit Segal described thousands of protesters at Rabin Square with 60 hours left before polling stations open. The Times of Israel reported that Eisenkot was warmly received by the crowd at Hostages Square.

Who organised the rally

According to N12, the October Council brings together bereaved families, relatives of hostages and survivors of the October 7 massacre. N12 gave the event's name as "Bishvilam", Hebrew for "For Them". The group's central demand, as described in all the reports, is a state commission of inquiry into the events of that day.

In Israel, a state commission of inquiry is the most senior form of official investigation available. It differs from inquiries set up by a government ministry or by the cabinet itself, which critics argue leave the government with influence over who investigates and how. Whether to establish such a commission into October 7 has been one of the most contested questions in Israeli politics since the attack, and the rally's timing placed it squarely in the final stretch of the election campaign.

The two squares

Rabin Square, named after the assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, is Tel Aviv's traditional venue for large political demonstrations. Hostages Square, a plaza outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, became the focal point of the campaign for the return of the hostages held in Gaza, and families of captives gathered there regularly throughout the war. Holding the inquiry rally there linked the demand for accountability to that campaign.

What was said

Rabbi Elhanan Danino told the crowd, as reported by Ynet, that anyone avoiding a state commission is likely concealing something. Ynet also quoted the uncle who adopted Abigail Idan, a child who survived captivity, and her siblings. He said he had found himself at the White House sitting with Biden at a time when his own government had not sent him so much as a WhatsApp message.

At the earlier Democrats event, Golan, the party's chairman, set out his platform, according to Amit Segal's account. He said that this time his camp was not protesting outside the government but heading into it. His list included setting up a state commission of inquiry, ensuring equality in the burden of service, strengthening democracy, separating religion and state, stopping both Palestinian and Jewish terror, and ending conflicts on several fronts through diplomatic agreements.

Lapid signs a pledge

Yair Lapid, who chairs the Yesh Atid party and holds the second slot on the joint list known as Together (Beyahad), signed a written commitment at Hostages Square to establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre, N12 reported. He signed it in front of Ruby Chen, whose son Itay was killed in combat on October 7. Itay Chen's body was taken into Gaza and later returned to Israel.

The politicians in attendance

Eisenkot is a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Liberman heads the Yisrael Beytenu party. Golan, a former IDF deputy chief of staff, leads the Democrats, the party formed from the merger of Labor and Meretz. All three are opposition figures, and the reports place them, along with Lapid, at the rally as the election approaches.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports gives a precise crowd figure; the outlets use terms such as thousands, many thousands and crowds. They also differ on emphasis: Amit Segal places thousands at Rabin Square, while Ynet and N12 focus on Hostages Square, with N12 describing a march from one to the other. The reports do not say whether any police estimate was issued, whether there were counter-protests or incidents, or whether representatives of the governing coalition responded. They do not specify the exact wording of the pledge Lapid signed, or whether other party leaders at the rally signed similar commitments.