Hostage Families and Opposition Figures Demand Inquiry on Election Day

Families of hostages and representatives of The Democrats party hung a massive billboard against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday as part of a series of election day campaigns. Following the installation, family members and party activists delivered public statements.

Yotam Kipnis, whose parents were killed in the October 7 massacre and whose family members were abducted to Gaza, spoke about his profound disappointment with the government during the war. "People whose family members were kidnapped to Gaza had to protest against the government for the most obvious thing," he stated. "To feel secure in the Negev, this government of the massacre must be replaced."

Gil Dickman, cousin of Carmel Gat who was abducted and murdered in captivity, called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry. "These elections are about October 7. This morning we vote to establish a state commission of inquiry, so that those who had their hands on the wheel on that terrible day will not return to their roles and lead us to another disaster," he said.

Yifat Calderon, cousin of Ofer Calderon who was abducted to Gaza and released in February 2025, echoed the demand for an inquiry and addressed the prime minister directly: "Netanyahu, go home and let us begin the rehabilitation process with new and worthy leadership, with the people who fought alongside us in the streets and came to work in the Knesset."

Meanwhile, Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, visited Kibbutz Nir Oz and criticized members of the ruling coalition. "Everyone in the coalition should have spoken out this morning, but I do not expect it from them; this is a continuation of their flight from responsibility," Eisenkot remarked. He asserted that the number of active operatives in the Gaza Strip remains unchanged from figures presented to the security cabinet three years ago: "30,000 Hamas, 7,000 Islamic Jihad."