Yom Kippur War veterans arrive at Tel Aviv anti-government protests with life-size fake tank

Demonstrators gather outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv to protest the government.

Three demonstrations are taking place simultaneously, all aimed at the government and each within a block of each other.

A protest calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza is being held at what’s been dubbed “Hostages Square” outside the Tel Aviv art museum and a protest calling for early elections, which has been taking place every week for the past four weeks, is being held outside the Kirya’s south entrance.

Brothers and Sisters in Arms, the reservist movement founded in opposition to the judicial overhaul last year, is holding its own separate demonstration by the Kirya’s east entrance. This is the group’s first demonstration in Tel Aviv since the October 7 Hamas terror onslaught and outbreak of war. In previous weeks, the group has instead protested on bridges across the country.

The protest for early elections begins with a video on a large screen showing clips of US Senator Chuck Schumer’s speech this week in which he said he believes early elections are in Israel’s interests.

Meanwhile, a group identifying as veterans of the 1973 Yom Kippur War arrived at the Kaplan Street protests with a life-sized fake tank. The tank briefly blocks part of Kaplan Street before the group agrees to a police request to move it outside the Kirya.