Over 100,000 rally in Tel Aviv demanding commission of inquiry into failures during October 7

Thousands gathered at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday for a rally organized by the October Council. The group brings together families and friends of victims and survivors of the Hamas massacre. The event was called “For Them. For Us.” It honored those killed, returned from captivity, fought, or continued to suffer.

The central demand was the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry. Speakers said the commission should investigate everyone responsible for the failures surrounding October 7, 2023. Rabbi Elhanan Danino said an inquiry would not bring victims back, but remained a duty to the public, children, and soldiers.

Families and survivors said the government had still not acted after three years. Danielle Aloni asked how she could promise her daughter that such a disaster would never happen again without an inquiry. The rally therefore linked remembrance with preventing another catastrophe.

The article describes the rally as drawing thousands of people to Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square. It does not provide an exact attendance figure. The crowd included families and friends of victims and survivors, hostage families, bereaved relatives, former hostages, wounded people, and supporters demanding an investigation.

Most of the opposition’s leaders were present. The article specifically names Gadi Eisenot, head of Yashar; Naftali Bennet, of B’Yachad; and Avigdor Liberman, of Yisrael Beytenu. Their presence connected the families’ protest with political opposition to the government’s refusal to establish a commission.

The event also featured public testimony. Yossi Marshak and Titi Aynaw opened the program. Rabbi Elhanan Danino, Danielle Aloni, and Zoli Mor later addressed the crowd. Their speeches focused on loss, captivity, responsibility, and the need to protect future generations.

A state commission of inquiry is a formal investigative body established after a serious national event. Its purpose is to discover what happened, why it happened, and whether institutions or decision-makers failed. Independence matters because the commission must be able to examine the government and security system without simply accepting their account.

Typically, such a commission can collect documents, hear testimony, question officials, and reconstruct decisions. It can identify institutional or individual responsibility and issue a public report. It may recommend policy changes, disciplinary action, or other steps. Criminal charges, however, usually require separate legal proceedings rather than the commission alone.

The article does not describe the exact legal powers of the proposed Israeli commission. It says families want one to investigate “everyone” and pursue the truth about October 7. Speakers also stressed that an inquiry would not return victims, but could serve public responsibility and future safety.

Families and protesters want a full investigation into the failures surrounding Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre. They want responsibility examined across the system, rather than allowing the disaster to be explained away or normalized. Their demand includes investigating leadership and the institutions responsible for protecting civilians.

The article gives one concrete example. Zoli Mor said an Israel Defense Forces force reached his family’s home at 11:30 p.m., after nine-year-old Michael called to say his parents had been shot. Mor also described an officer apologizing and crying over the delay. He said answers had still not been given three years later.

The article does not provide a detailed catalogue of operational or intelligence failures. It reports that families want a state commission to investigate everyone responsible. They believe a formal inquiry could establish facts, clarify accountability, and help prevent a repeat of the disaster.

The families reject the government’s handling because they say it has failed to establish the inquiry or provide answers. Rabbi Elhanan Danino accused the leadership of avoiding the pursuit of truth. Yossi Marshak also said people had tried to deny, normalize, or exhaust public demands for accountability.

Their personal experiences make the issue urgent. Danielle Aloni returned from 49 days in captivity with her daughter, Emilia. She said she cannot promise Emilia that another disaster will not happen while no state commission exists. Zoli Mor likewise described unanswered questions about the delayed arrival at his family’s home.

An independent investigation would give victims and the public a process separate from ordinary political handling. It could examine leaders, military decisions, and security failures without relying only on internal explanations. The article presents this as a duty to victims, soldiers, children, and the country’s future.

If a commission found that political leaders, military commanders, or security agencies failed, it could identify their responsibility in an official public report. That finding would give citizens a clear account of decisions, warnings, delays, and institutional breakdowns. It could also challenge claims that responsibility belongs only elsewhere.

Possible consequences typically include resignations, dismissals, disciplinary proceedings, changes in command, or reforms to procedures and oversight. If investigators uncovered evidence of crimes, separate law-enforcement authorities could consider criminal proceedings. A commission itself generally makes findings and recommendations; it does not automatically convict or imprison people.

The article does not state what penalties would follow a future inquiry. It says Danino wants a commission that investigates everyone, while Mor wants answers for families. The broader consequence would be a documented record that could guide accountability, rebuild trust, and reduce the chance of another failure.

Independent inquiries matter because democracies must explain serious failures to the people they serve. A transparent investigation can establish facts, test official accounts, and show whether leaders or institutions met their responsibilities. It also gives victims and families a recognized path toward answers, even when no finding can undo the loss.

The rally illustrated this need through personal testimony. Danino said a commission would not bring his son Ori back, but called it an obligation to the future and to soldiers risking their lives. Aloni said she could not promise her daughter safety while no commission had been established. These examples connect accountability with public protection.

The article reports that the government has not established the demanded commission after three years. If an independent inquiry proceeds, its findings could shape reforms, responsibility, and public trust. If it does not, families may continue to view the unanswered disaster as an ongoing failure.