October Council Plans Extensive Protests and Memorial Events for October 7

The October Council has announced a series of protest and memorial activities scheduled for October 7, marking the anniversary of the Hamas attacks. The events aim to ensure the day is not forgotten and to demand accountability.

The commemorations will begin on the evening of Saturday, October 3, with the opening of a memorial exhibition titled 'The Void That Remains' at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation. Throughout the following week, various remembrance and protest actions will take place across Israel, involving families from the October Council and other civilian organizations.

Key events on October 7 include a moment of silence at 6:29 AM, followed by statements from October Council families and protest demonstrations in Caesarea, Jerusalem, Sha'ar HaNegev, and numerous other locations. At 7:00 AM, council members and activists plan to protest outside the homes of ministers who were part of the government on October 7. A convoy, 'The Abandoner's Path,' will depart from Caesarea to Tel Aviv at 7:10 AM. A women's protest, 'From Abandonment to Responsibility,' with a central exhibit, is scheduled for 8:30 AM at Trumpeldor Beach in Tel Aviv. Additional convoys from the north, south, and center will head to a ceremony in Ben Shemen Forest starting at 10:00 AM.

From 11:00 AM onwards, October Council families will participate in memorial services in the Gaza border communities and nationwide. At 12:00 PM, a minute of remembrance is planned across the country in various institutions, including hospitals, tech companies, and restaurants. Simultaneously, the 'The Void That Remains' exhibition, featuring items from dozens of October 7 victims, will open at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Jaffa.

Evening protests are scheduled in Haifa, Afula, Tzomet Tzemach, Tzomet Rosh Pina, and other locations starting at 6:00 PM. An open stage for testimonies will operate at Tzomet HaKashot/Sha'ar HaNegev from 7:30 PM. The national memorial ceremony will take place at Park HaYarkon in Tel Aviv at 9:15 PM, hosted by the 'Kulanu' organization and emceed by former hostage Eli Sharaabi and actress Shani Cohen. This ceremony will be broadcast at multiple locations, including the Hostages Square.

A social media remembrance project, 'Don't Forget Them,' led by Hila Avir, whose brother Lotan Avir was killed at the Nova music festival, will launch during the week. This project connects 14 cultural figures with families who lost loved ones on October 7. The October Council stated, 'Three years after October 7, this day must not become just another date on the calendar. Behind the numbers are people, families, and entire lives that were cut short, and behind the disaster are still questions the Israeli public deserves answers to.' They added, 'The October 7 week is intended to remember those we lost and all who were harmed, to give space to the families, and to demand that memory, responsibility, and the duty to uncover the truth do not disappear from the public agenda. We invite the citizens of Israel to stop, come, listen, and join the demand for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry immediately upon the formation of the next government.'