Hostages’ kin to hold protests demanding release in Israel

TEL AVIV : 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, The Times of Israel reported.

“An absolute majority of the Israeli people want to bring our loved ones home,” the forum said in its announcement on Sunday, as per The Times of Israel.

“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 am (local time)– 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 am (local time), a “mothers and strollers” protest is planned for Hostages Square, while marches nationwide are slated to kick off at 2 pm (local time), followed by an exhibition of drawings made by former hostages two hours later.

At 5 pm (local time), 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.

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 organisations, though Israel’s central labour 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, as per The Times of Israel. (ANI)