Three Days Before Election, Thousands Rally in Tel Aviv Demanding an Independent October 7 Inquiry
TEL AVIV — Thousands of Israelis rallied at Hostages Square in central Tel Aviv on Saturday, October 24, demanding an independent state commission of inquiry into the security failures preceding the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. The rally came three days before Israel's October 27 general election, the first since the Gaza war began.
The rally was organized by the October Council, a group of families of captives taken to Gaza and of victims and survivors of the attack. Ahead of the rally, the council said the event marked the culmination of three years of struggle to uncover the truth, demand accountability and establish a state commission of inquiry. Opposition figures took part, including Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party and Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats; Ynet reported Avigdor Lieberman also attended. The crowd greeted Eisenkot with chants of "Who's coming? The next prime minister."
The council says the government has refused to establish an independent commission appointed by the Supreme Court, offering instead a "political" commission with half its members appointed by the governing coalition and half by the opposition; opposition leaders have rejected that proposal, saying an investigation should be independent of political influence. The council also alerted police to possible "provocations" from pro-government agitators, saying it had received alerts about attempts by coalition-linked groups to disrupt the rally.
According to Israeli figures, the October 7, 2023 attack killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage; whether to establish an independent inquiry has remained a central dispute in Israel ever since. The October 27 vote will be the country's first national election since the attack.
Source: GSM News
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 特拉维夫“人质与失踪者广场”标牌夜景。 Night view of the Hostages and Missing Square sign in Tel Aviv.
