‘Blood’-covered activists protest systemic abuse of Palestinians in central Tel Aviv

Members of the Arab Hadash party are staging a demonstration on the steps of the Tel Aviv Government Complex, lying on the ground covered in fake blood next to one of the city’s busiest intersections to protest what they describe as the “genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.”

Demonstrators wearing T-shirts reading “This is Israeli policy” and “Pogroms, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and extermination” lie on the steps outside the building as red paint is splashed on them, “symbolizing the blood spilled as a result of this policy,” the Arab-majority party says in a statement.

Participants also appear with numbers written on their forehead, referencing a recent incident in which Palestinian suspects detained by soldiers during a military raid in the northern West Bank village of Qabatiya had their faces marked with numbers.

“The destruction and extermination in Gaza, the ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and state terrorism in the West Bank are not a collection of isolated mistakes or individual failures. This is an official policy adopted and executed by the State of Israel. It is not a mistake. It is not a glitch. It is policy,” the party says.

Hadash party members protest outside a government building in Tel Aviv against what they call "the genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank." (Courtesy Hadash) pic.twitter.com/v8x3ppkVtn

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) August 19, 2026

The government complex, an office tower that houses several government offices, is across the street from the Kirya military headquarters.

On Tuesday, the IDF admitted that soldiers had marked the Palestinian suspects with numbers, despite previously acknowledging that the practice was inappropriate.

In a statement to The Times of Israel, the military said that commanders had stressed the seriousness of the conduct to the troops involved and that “lessons have been learned” — echoing remarks the IDF made in April.