Hundreds Rally in Tel Aviv Demanding Independent State Inquiry Into October 7 Failures

Several hundred people gathered at Habima Square in central Tel Aviv on Saturday evening for a demonstration organized by the Movement for Quality Government and the Protest Organizations Forum. Protesters demanded the creation of an independent state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7, equal sharing of national duties and protections for the judicial system.

Speakers included bereaved relatives of victims, retired senior military figures, legal advocates and civil-rights activists. They sharply criticized the government and called for accountability across political and military leadership.

Calls for an Independent, Nonpolitical Inquiry

Shir Mathias, who lost her parents Shahar and Shlomi in Holit on October 7, accused the authorities of neglecting victims and obstructing the truth. "I am here to point to a government that dishonors our dead, ignores our suffering, and evades the establishment of a state commission of inquiry," she said. "Everyone who had their hands on the wheel on October 7 must go home and take responsibility, those in suits and those in uniform alike."

"Only a state commission of inquiry, free of political characteristics, neutral, and professional, can uncover the truth. Without the truth, we will not be able to draw conclusions, and without those conclusions, our security and our future will remain stuck on October 6."

Political Appeal to Right-Wing Voters

Maj.-Gen. (res.) Dr. Yom Tov Samia addressed primarily right-leaning voters, urging them to reconsider support for the current government. "Likud voters, Shas voters, my brothers in our heritage, this government needs to be corrected, and that correction will come from you," he said. Samia warned that social division is the government's greatest threat to national cohesion and accused leaders of delaying an inquiry so that memories fade and evidence is lost.

Maj.-Gen. (res.) Dr. Yom Tov Samia speaking at a protest in Tel Aviv, August 1, 2026. (credit: MOVEMENT FOR QUALITY GOVERNMENT IN ISRAEL)

Legal Challenge Over Military Conscription

Attorney Stav Livne Lahav, director of the Movement for Quality Government's legal department, spoke about a recent High Court hearing connected to legislation affecting the arrest of haredi draft evaders. She argued the law effectively shields some draft evaders from arrest, saying: "The law... literally states, in black and white, that draft evaders cannot be arrested, and that if draft evaders are arrested, they must be released... Of course, there is one major condition: that you are a haredi draft evader."

"This law is unlawful from beginning to end," she added, pledging continued legal efforts to defend the rule of law and equal civic obligations.

Push for a Civil Constitution

Sarit Massachi Kobrigo, a leader of the group "We Are The Judaism Of The Declaration Of Independence," urged transforming the Declaration of Independence into a binding civil constitution. She said a lasting civic order requires equal rights and duties for all citizens and that no individual or government should be above the law.

The demonstration closed with calls to continue public pressure until an independent, professional state commission of inquiry is established and until guarantees of equality and the rule of law are restored.