October 7 victims' families to hold 'Remember them at the voting booth' rallies on Election Day

Families of the victims of the October 7 massacre will hold a series of rallies outside of voting sites across the country on Tuesday, Election Day, under the banner "Remember them at the voting booth."

The victims and families emphasized that the initiative was not tied to any specific political party, but was intended only to remind Israeli citizens of the horrors that the nation endured on October 7, 2023, and ensure that the victims' memories were not forgotten.

The participants will be pushing the campaign across social media up until the day of the election, using signs reminding the Israeli public of those killed and taken hostage on October 7.

Among those taking part in the initiative are Yocheved Lifshitz, a former hostage whose husband, Oded, was abducted alive and murdered in captivity; Yona Adam, mother of Mapal, who was murdered at the Nova music festival; Hadas Calderon, daughter of Carmela Dan and aunt of Noya, both of whom were murdered on October 7, and mother of former hostages Sahar and Erez; Dvora Shani, mother of soldier Ido Shani, who was killed while defending communities near the Gaza border; Danny Elgart, brother of Itzik, who was abducted alive and murdered in captivity; Gil Dickmann, cousin of Carmel Gat, who was abducted alive and murdered in captivity; Noam Alon, sister of soldier Dor Sadeh, who was killed in battle in Kfar Aza; Noam Perry, daughter of Haim Perry, who was abducted alive and murdered in captivity; and Michel Iluz, father of Guy, who was abducted alive and murdered in captivity.

The planned election-day protests follow a rally organized by the October Council on Saturday evening in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, three days before the Knesset elections.

Likud calls for networks to not broadcast rally speeches live

The Likud Party, on Thursday morning, called on television networks not to broadcast live the speeches at the rally.

In an urgent letter sent by attorney Ilan Bombach on behalf of the party, Likud argued that the event could be used for prohibited election campaigning, given the participation of opposition party leaders and the political messages surrounding the rally.

The letter was addressed to the legal advisers of KAN News, N12 news site, Channel 13, and Channel 14, as well as the Second Authority for Television and Radio and the attorney-general.

Likud is not demanding that the event's coverage be prohibited. Instead, the party is calling for speeches to be broadcast with a delay of at least 10 minutes, allowing news editors to review their content and prevent the airing of messages that constitute election propaganda.

The rally was held under the slogan, "In three days, we vote for a state commission of inquiry."

Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, and Avigdor Liberman attended, alongside bereaved families, families of hostages, former hostages, and residents of communities near the Gaza border.

Rally organizers demand October 7 commission of inquiry

The rally's organizers sought to place the demand for a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding October 7 at the center of the public agenda.

Their promotional materials state: "This is what we are all going to vote on October 27."

Likud argued that explicitly linking the public demand for an inquiry to voting in the elections, combined with the participation of opposition leaders, raised concerns that the broadcast could become a platform for one-sided political campaigning.

Bombach cited a March 2019 ruling by former Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Hanan Melcer. At the time, following a petition by the Labor Party, it was determined that a Likud conference could not be broadcast live and must instead be aired with a delay of at least 10 minutes to allow broadcasters to distinguish between legitimate news coverage and election propaganda.

The letter also included guidelines issued by the Second Authority's legal adviser, attorney Ofir Bitan, emphasizing the prohibition on election propaganda in news broadcasts and the responsibility of editors to exercise independent judgment.

The legal distinction rests on whether the broadcast's primary purpose is to inform the public or to persuade viewers politically.

The appeal came a day after the attorney-general instructed broadcasters not to air Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech live at the IDF officer training course graduation ceremony at Bahad 1, citing concerns over prohibited election propaganda.

October Council accuses Netanyahu of trying to silence bereaved families

"Netanyahu is once again trying to silence the bereaved families," the October Council said in response. "Are Roni Eshel, Kfir and Ariel Bibas, Ido Edri, Neta Baram, Ori Danino, and 2,200 murdered victims election propaganda? Who is afraid of hearing from the bereaved families, the former hostages, and the survivors of the October 7 massacre?

"Three years have passed since the largest massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Three years during which Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister responsible for the failure, refused to meet with us, look us in the eye, and give us answers. Three years during which the coalition responsible for the failure did everything in its power to silence the bereaved families and prevent the public from learning the truth. And now, once again, Israel's prime minister is trying to silence the bereaved families!

"He does not want Israelis to hear the stories of former hostages, of those who were murdered and killed, or of residents of the communities near Gaza and in the North. He does not want Israelis to hear, alongside the pain, a message of hope for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, which he has continued to evade to this day. Anyone who repeatedly seeks to silence bereaved families is afraid of the truth.

"The hundreds of thousands of Israelis who will come to Hostages Square this coming Saturday night will prove that the truth is stronger than anything. We call on all Israelis: Come to Hostages Square this Saturday night, stand alongside us, and demand a state commission of inquiry. Together, we will prove that the truth will prevail and that no one will silence it."