Thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Kfar Sava, near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea and Tzemach Junction, against far-right government, calling for early elections and the Knesset’s dissolution.

MK Ofer Cassif with Hadash activists during the protest held Saturday night at Habima Square in Tel-Aviv, January 7, 2023 (Photo: Zo Haderech)

The main demonstration take place at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, organizers say that 20,000 people were present. The sister of Shira Eylon, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Supernova festival on October 7, tells the protest in Tel Aviv that her sister “was abandoned to a shocking death.” “The change begins within us and starts with worthy leadership. Without leadership like this, we cannot begin the healing process,” added Eylon.

Latterly, down the road from Habima, at Kaplan Street several hundred of the “Radical Block” activists, among them Hadash MK Ofer Cassif and Communist Party of Israel members, demonstrated against the war. Many of protestors bearing banners that were highly antagonistic toward Netanyahu and his fascist coalition, as well against the war in Gaza. “The cry of mothers: Get our soldiers out of Gaza now,” read one banner, while another called for “A diplomatic agreement.” “This is our life with Netanyahu in power. Catastrophe after catastrophe after catastrophe,” the demonstrators chanted. A demonstrator was arrested by police. In Jerusalem, three activists were detained in the anti-Netanyahu meeting held at Paris Square.   

Several tens of thousands of families and friends of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, along with soldiers who fought to find them, gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Saturday night along with thousands of activists, 92 days after the October 7 attacks, and with no prospect of an impending return for the 132 who remain in the Strip.

Saturday night’s speakers included alumni of a high-school class whose friends were murdered and kidnapped. Omri Shifroni and Nofer Gilot went to a regional school near the Gaza border with Kibbutz Nir Oz. Shifroni said that Tamir Adar, a member of the kibbutz emergency squad, was injured on October 7 and didn’t get proper treatment, and could have been saved.  “Itai and Tal can still be saved,” he said, surrounded by fellow members of their class holding pictures of their friends.

The mother of Tamir Adar, 38, whose death was confirmed Friday writes that saying he was killed on October 7 “minimizes the magnitude of the failure.” “The message should be different: Tamir was seriously injured when he was protecting his family and the community, in the absence of protection for the community. Tamir was kidnapped while wounded and alive. Tamir was murdered in the absence of immediate medical attention,” writes Yael Adar on Facebook. “This is the default! It is convenient for everyone to write murdered on October 7 as if it happened in one moment that Tamir did not feel, and he could not be saved,” added. “If the state had been functioning, Tamir would have been saved. If the state was functioning, this failure would not have happened.” Opinion polls conducted by Israeli media and the Israel Democracy Institute in the past week suggested that if early elections were held now, Netanyahu would be unable to form a government,