October 7 Anniversary: Calls to Dismantle Palestinian Authority Ignite Election Campaign
Protests and hardline political moves converged on Tel Aviv, Israel at 06:29 local time on Wednesday, marking exactly three years since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, while simultaneously igniting the campaign trail ahead of the country’s upcoming October 27 general election.
The anniversary—falling roughly a year after an October 2025 ceasefire ended large-scale hostilities in Gaza—highlighted deep internal fractures over security, accountability, and the future of the region.
Highway Blockade Demands Accountability
In Tel Aviv, demonstrators marked the exact minute the 2023 assault began by blocking the Ayalon Highway. Protesters stood across the lanes holding large signs reading, “May the nation remember its sons and daughters,” a direct echo of the traditional Jewish Yizkor remembrance prayer.
The demonstration quickly tied the tragedy to the country’s first parliamentary vote since the war. The signs bore both dates—October 7 and October 27—serving as a pointed message to voters. Traffic ground to a halt as the crowd observed a moment of silence for the estimated 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage during the initial assault, as well as those lost in the subsequent war.
Observers note the upcoming election will serve as a referendum on the next Knesset following a term defined by the hostage crisis, security failures, and immense public pressure for government accountability.
Ben-Gvir Calls for Dismantling the Palestinian Authority
Simultaneously, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir chose the symbolic 06:29 timestamp to launch an aggressive security campaign at the security fence near the Nitzanei Oz interchange, adjacent to Tulkarm and Highway 6.
Standing along the seam line dividing Israel and the occupied West Bank, Ben-Gvir warned that local communities face a renewed threat of infiltration. He explicitly called for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to be completely dismantled and disarmed and its personnel arrested.
“Three years ago, on October 7, the State of Israel was caught completely by surprise. We must not repeat the same mistake,” Ben-Gvir said. “We need to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, take their weapons, disarm them, and arrest the Authority’s people.”
Campaign Trails and Regional Fallout
The hawkish proposal is a cornerstone of the security platform for Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party, which backed the speech with a major billboard campaign along Highway 6. Ben-Gvir previously announced that his party would demand the defence ministry portfolio in the next coalition government to execute these plans.
Such a move would effectively tear up the Oslo II Accords, which established the Palestinian Police and granted them authority over internal security and public order in specific zones of the West Bank.
Palestinian officials have strongly condemned the proposal, warning that dissolving the PA would systematically destroy Palestinian institutions and completely erase prospects for future statehood.
The political sparring comes at a fragile time for the region. Although large-scale hostilities ended last year, low-level Israeli military operations and strikes continue.
Meanwhile, much of Gaza’s population remains displaced amid severe humanitarian shortages and slow-moving reconstruction efforts.
