Thousands gather in protest outside Gideon Sa'ar's house

Amid reports of Sa'ar potentially joining the government and Yoav Gallant's dismissal, dozens of protesters gathered outside Sa'ar's home in Tel Aviv, urging him not to enter Netanyahu's government.

Talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's associates and National Unity leader Gideon Sa'ar, which had been intermittent and slow for weeks, have intensified in recent days. This follows the decision of the Hostages’ Families Headquarters to move their protest from Aryeh Deri’s house to Sa’ar’s in an effort to create a central focus of pressure and protest. 

"Gideon, you opposed the deal that was meant to bring home Hersh, Alex, Almog, Eden, and my Carmel alive.” Shai Dikman, cousin of Carmel Gat z''l, whose body was returned earlier this month, said. “Canceling the hostage deal is what brought Carmel back in a coffin. I'm standing here in a situation no one wants to face. But in front of me are the daughters of Ohev Ben Ami – they could have a different ending. What separates us is a deal; a deal you're willing to forgo. So tell me, Gideon, do you want to be the Minister of Defense? What is defense if not bringing back civilians who were kidnapped from their homes safely? Isn't that security?"

Later, protesters marched toward Sha’ar Begin in Tel Aviv to continue the demonstration from there, chanting, "It’s an all-nighter tonight. This is ‘Gallant Night’ part two. Everyone block the intersections, the roads, everything possible in the country. Don’t be afraid, they won’t break us. We’re fighting, we’re resisting."

Meanwhile, social activist Yaya Fink held a Zoom call with protest activists, stating, "We are preparing for Gallant Night part two. This is a dirty deal that we cannot allow. We've already taken Gallant’s dismissal, the dismissal of the Attorney General, the judicial overhaul, and now it’s time for Gallant Night part two. We will have to take to the streets across the country in massive numbers to prevent Gallant’s dismissal and to protect Israel's security."

Fink emphasized that the protest has two main tasks, "The first task is to get more people to join the groups for Gallant Night part two. We’re approaching 200,000 in the groups, and it's not enough. The second task is to be ready at a moment's notice. From the moment we get the final word about the dismissal of the Defense Minister during a war for a dirty political deal, we need to be on the streets within 20-30 minutes." 

At the end of the call, Fink told the activists, "We are in tough times, where political maneuvers are prioritized over the hostages. But we’ve overcome Pharaoh, and we’ll overcome this too. We will succeed in creating a better country. I know it’s exhausting and Sisyphean, but our children will ask us in the future what we did and where we were on Gallant Night part two."

Police preparation

The police prepared for a demonstration earlier on Monday outside the home of Sa'ar, Israeli media reported.

At the time, the police gathered intelligence to determine whether the protest would indeed occur on Monday night.

Based on this information, the police deployed forces in the area surrounding Sa'ar's home, as is customary in any demonstrations or protests outside the homes of public figures.