Israelis protest against Netanyahu's government, demanding an inquiry into October 7 failures

Israelis demonstrated in several cities against Benjamin Netanyahu's government, demanding the formation of an official inquiry committee into what they described as the "October 7 failures," referring to the "Al-Aqsa Flood" attack launched by Palestinian resistance on October 7, 2023.

In Jerusalem, protesters gathered in front of President Isaac Herzog's residence and demanded not to grant amnesty to Netanyahu.

In Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beersheba, families of killed and previously captive Israelis demanded accountability for officials and not closing the failures file.

A few days ago, former head of Israel's General Security Service (Shin Bet) Ronen Bar attacked Prime Minister Netanyahu and called for the formation of an official inquiry committee into the October 7 failures.

Bar said, "Without investigating the entire system, we will have condemned the entire Israeli people to await the next October 7th."

#Watch| Launch of a demonstration in "Tel Aviv"; against Netanyahu's government pic.twitter.com/C0OE4XJKnl

Netanyahu refuses

Netanyahu rejected the opposition's calls to form an official inquiry committee and decided on November 16 to form an independent and unofficial committee.

In the Al-Aqsa Flood attack, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) attacked military bases and settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip, killing and capturing Israelis, "in response to the occupation's daily crimes for decades against the Palestinian people and its sanctities, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque," according to the movement.

Netanyahu is on trial for corruption charges related to bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, but he has always denied committing any violations, saying the charges are politically motivated, and insists that the trial proceedings will end with proving his innocence.

The Jerusalem Post newspaper - according to a recent poll - showed that the majority of Israelis oppose granting Netanyahu presidential amnesty, considering his government mired in corruption.

The poll revealed that about 50% of participants reject any amnesty that President Isaac Herzog could issue, compared to 41% who saw it as necessary for Netanyahu to continue in office.

Netanyahu submitted - at the beginning of this month - a formal request to the Israeli president's office to obtain presidential amnesty that ends his ongoing trial for more than 5 years.