Thousands Rally Across Israel Against Governmen - Police Separate Rival Groups

Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated across the country on Saturday evening against the government, with large rallies in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva, as police intervened to prevent confrontations between protesters and right-wing activists.

In Tel Aviv, police cordoned off Habima Square, where thousands gathered, after dozens of right-wing activists arrived at the scene. The activists filmed demonstrators, chanted slogans including “Long live Kahane,” and hurled insults at leftists and Arabs, according to witnesses.

A police officer later warned the group they would be detained if they remained at the square’s entrance. The activists left the area, police said.

When the Tel Aviv demonstration ended, the right-wing activists — including activist Mordechai David — regrouped near about 100 anti-government protesters marching toward the Cinematheque. Around 20 police officers positioned themselves between the groups to prevent clashes.

Former Officials Warn of ‘Internal Existential Threat’

During the Tel Aviv rally, organizers broadcast excerpts from an interview aired by public broadcaster Kan 11 with Eli Feldstein, a former spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Feldstein claimed that Cabinet Secretary Tzachi Braverman told him he could “turn off” a military investigation into the leak of classified information to the German newspaper Bild.

“When people closest to Netanyahu receive money from Qatar — like Hamas — to engineer the minds of Israeli citizens, this is not a concept. This is a betrayal of national security,” protest leader Shikma Bresler told the crowd.

Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon sharply criticized National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying he “looks at how the Iranian regime treats protesters and is jealous.”

Ya’alon said Netanyahu was “clinging to his seat” out of fear that his term would end with the establishment of a state commission of inquiry. He warned that Israel faced not an external threat, but an internal one, accusing the government of leading the country toward “a messianic, racist, fascist, homophobic, misogynistic, corrupt tyranny.”

“The public must choose,” Ya’alon said, “between separation from the Palestinians or occupation, annexation and ethnic cleansing.”

Families of Oct. 7 Victims Demand Accountability

At the Tel Aviv rally, Aviela Chael, whose children Noa and Gidi were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack at the Nova music festival, warned that another failure was looming.

“This government is running away from responsibility,” she said. “It has abandoned us — and continues to abandon us.”

Chael called for the immediate establishment of an independent state commission of inquiry, saying accountability was essential to prevent a repeat of the failures that led to the attack.

“It is impossible to heal,” she said, “without ensuring the failure will not be repeated and without holding those responsible to account.”

Tensions in Haifa as Police Tighten Restrictions

In Haifa, thousands demonstrated under increasingly strict police controls. After the rally ended, police ordered demonstrators to disperse and forcibly pushed some from the area.

Protesters marched from the Auditorium Plaza in central Carmel toward Horev, but for the first time in three years, police refused to block roads for the march, instructing demonstrators to remain on sidewalks. As crowding forced protesters into the road, police ultimately blocked traffic themselves.

Members of parliament Naama Lazimi and Gilad Kariv of the Democrats party attended the Haifa rally.

Rallies for Hostages Held Across the South

In southern Israel, demonstrations focused on the return of hostages still held in Gaza. In Meitar, a rally organized by the Families’ Headquarters for the Return of the Hostages featured Ran Gueili’s father, Itzik Gueili, and Meirav Leshem-Gonen, the mother of former hostage Romi Gonen.

Former captives Ziv and Gali Berman also attended.

“A rare unity has been created here,” Itzik Gueili said. “Religious and secular alike agree: Ran must come home.”

At a separate rally at the Kashetot junction, Ran Gueili’s aunt, Yael Gan, said she opposed moving to a second phase of negotiations before her nephew’s return.

“We will not stop,” she said, “until you come home.”

Demonstrations Also Held in Jerusalem

In Be’er Sheva, protesters gathered at the Mishkan for the Performing Arts to mark three years since the government’s judicial overhaul initiative began. In Jerusalem, demonstrators rallied at the intersection of Gaza and Metudela streets before marching to the President’s Residence. Police reported no serious injuries or arrests nationwide.