The Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced that it would lead a national “day of struggle” on Tuesday aimed at calling for a deal to secure the release of their loved ones from captivity in Gaza.
“An absolute majority of the Israeli people want to bring our loved ones home,” the forum said in its announcement on Sunday. “The deliberate delay in signing a deal for their return goes against the will of the people and our fundamental values — mutual responsibility and friendship. This is the Israeli ethos — this is our duty.”
The day of action will begin at 6:29 a.m. — the time Hamas launched its October 7 attack — when protesters will unfurl Israeli flags outside the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, followed by protests at major junctions across the country.
At 10 a.m., a “mothers and strollers” protest is planned for Hostages Square, while marches nationwide are slated to kick off at 2 p.m., followed by an exhibition of drawings made by former hostages two hours later.
At 5 p.m., the protesters will gather in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and write notes to send to the prime minister and the IDF chief of staff.
The day is set to culminate in the evening with a big march from the Savidor Train Station in Tel Aviv to Hostages Square, where a final protest will take place.
Unlike last week’s action, which included a call for a nationwide strike, the Forum is asking Israelis to show their support and participate in Tuesday’s activities without striking, the Haaretz daily reported.
“I can only pray with all my heart that at least Matan saw and heard the people’s big outcry for him and all the hostages last week,” said Matan Angrest‘s father, Hagai, at Hostages Square on Sunday. “We, the people of Israel, cannot cooperate with these exercises in avoidance, and we must remind the prime minister of his responsibility to fix what was broken on his watch. We call on you to join us on Tuesday. The time is now.”
Last Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people were estimated to have taken part in nationwide protests calling for an end to the war and a deal that would see all of the hostages freed from Gaza. The day of protests came alongside a major strike, which was joined by hundreds of local authorities, businesses, universities, tech companies and other organizations, though Israel’s central labor union, the Histadrut, did not join the effort.
Fifty hostages remain captive in Gaza — 49 of the 251 taken hostage on October 7 and the body of a soldier who was killed in 2014. Israeli officials have declared that 28 of them are dead, while 20 are believed to be alive and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others.
Vicky Cohen, the mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, posted a photo of herself on X holding an enlarged replica of her son’s military ID on Sunday.
“I didn’t sleep a wink all weekend,” she wrote. “The fear of another torpedoing [of hostage deal efforts] won’t let me rest. Israeli citizens, will you stand by us for the next few days to ensure that the deal is not foiled?”
Speaking from outside the IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv on Sunday, Matan Zangauker‘s mother, Einav, warned that “if a conquest of Gaza begins, there will be no deal.”
“People of Israel, we have only a few days to stop this,” she said. “We must force [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to accept the deal and ensure that he immediately progresses toward a deal that will bring everyone home and end the war.”
Itzik Horn, the father of hostage Eitan Horn, added that the government is “led by extremists who see this time as a miracle. I speak to the people of Israel — you are our hope.”
Last week, Hamas said it had agreed to a hostage deal that would see half of the hostages released while talks kicked off to end the war and free the rest. Netanyahu has said, however, that Israel will only agree to a deal that sees all the hostages released at once.
Netanyahu said last week that he had instructed negotiations to continue toward a hostage deal that would see all the hostages released, even while moving toward approving plans for an offensive aimed at conquering Gaza City.
Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly said on Sunday that there was a hostage deal on the table and that Israel should take it, with Channel 13 quoting him as saying, “The IDF brought about the conditions for a deal, now it is in Netanyahu’s hands.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has demanded that Netanyahu accept the deal Hamas had agreed to, saying that pushing forward with a military operation could risk the hostages who are still alive.