A march three days before the vote

Thousands of protesters marched against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Tel Aviv on Saturday, three days before Israel's general election, demanding accountability for the failure to prevent the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, which led to the war in Gaza. According to an AFP reporter, the crowd moved from central Rabin Square towards Hostages Square, which has been a focal point of past demonstrations calling for the release of captives in Gaza.

The march was organised by the October Council, a group founded by the families of victims and hostages.

• •The march ran from Rabin Square to Hostages Square
• •It took place three days before the general election
• •The October Council, founded by victims' and hostages' families, organised it

The October Council's culminating event

The organisers framed the rally as the end point of a long campaign. In a post on X, the October Council said: "Three days before the election, we will hold the culminating event marking three years of struggle to uncover the truth." Leading figures from opposition parties were expected to take part in the protest.

Hadas Feuershtein, 68, spoke to AFP shortly before the rally began.

She added that Israel had never been in a situation like the current one.

Polls point to a split parliament

The demonstration came as opinion polls showed Netanyahu's right-wing bloc, in power since late 2022, neck and neck with the bloc of his main centre-right rival Gadi Eisenkot. The latest polls, published before a gag period began on Friday night, showed neither bloc would obtain a majority of seats in Israel's parliament.

A stalled state commission of inquiry

Behind the march lies a standoff over how the October 7 failures should be examined. Netanyahu's government has refused to establish an independent commission of inquiry, the kind Israel has commonly set up in the past to investigate major state-level failings. Its counter-offer is a "political" commission, with membership split evenly between the ruling coalition's appointees and those of opposition lawmakers.

Opposition leaders have said a commission appointed by politicians would be met with a boycott. The October Council, for its part, warned police of possible provocations by pro-government agitators, saying: "We have sent an urgent letter to the Police Commissioner following alerts about attempts by entities linked to the coalition to disrupt tonight's rally."

The election follows three days after the march, with the latest pre-gag polls showing neither Netanyahu's bloc nor Eisenkot's with a parliamentary majority.