The police arrested nine protesters Saturday night after establishing that the protest was unlawful because of a lack of coordination with the security forces.

The protest, which was held on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, was evacuated shortly after, the police said in a statement. 

"During a protest that took place without authorization and without coordination with the police this evening on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, several demonstrators began to disrupt public order and block the roadway, obstructing the movement of vehicles," the police said in a statement.

Illustration image of handcuffs on the hands of an arrested man, in Jerusalem, May 21, 2025.
Illustration image of handcuffs on the hands of an arrested man, in Jerusalem, May 21, 2025. (credit: YOSSI ZAMIR/FLASH90)

Protest groups demand October 7 inquiry

Earlier, several protest groups announced a mass demonstration in Habima Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, calling for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre and demanding equality in bearing the burden of the war.

The protest was held three days before the Supreme Court is due to hear petitions against the law freezing the arrests of draft evaders, in a hearing set for Tuesday before an expanded panel of nine justices.

"The Knesset may have dissolved, but the government has not stopped trying to evade responsibility and place a heavier burden on the serving public," the protest organizers said.