Massive Tel Aviv rally challenges Netanyahu ahead of Israeli elections

Thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, three days before legislative elections widely seen as a referendum on his leadership. The rally, organized by the October Council, a group founded by families of October 7 victims and hostages, demands a state inquiry into security failures that enabled the deadliest Hamas attack in Israel's history. Netanyahu's government has refused such a commission, which opposition leaders have pledged to establish if they win Tuesday's vote. Polls show a tight race, with Netanyahu's bloc at 50 seats and the opposition bloc around Gadi Eisenkot at 52, far from the 61 needed to govern. Organizers fear provocations from pro-government activists, while protesters cite international sanctions on West Bank settlements and Israel's deteriorating global image.