A nationwide basic strike obtained underway on Sunday morning, as households of the hostages protested the federal government’s choice to increase the struggle in Gaza with a marketing campaign to overcome Gaza Metropolis, moderately than signal a deal to return their family members.
The strike was organized by the October Council, which represents among the members of the family of the hostages or bereaved kinfolk of these killed within the combating that erupted with the Hamas-led bloodbath in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in addition to the Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board.
The discussion board mentioned on Saturday evening that it was making ready for almost a million folks to go by Hostages Sq. in Tel Aviv all through the day, and for tens of hundreds to affix actions at tons of of different websites throughout Israel.
The motion started at 6:29 a.m. — the precise time of day that the Hamas assault erupted on October 7, 2023 — with a sequence of protests at junctions and intersections throughout the nation.
Protesters will probably be standing on the intersections handing out yellow ribbons, the image that represents the hostages, to passersby, the Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board mentioned.
The discussion board printed a map highlighting the places at which early-morning protests had been deliberate.
The primary occasions of the day obtained underway at 7 a.m., when the October Council will ship a press release to the press from Sarona Market in Tel Aviv, throughout the road from the Kirya navy headquarters.
Then, at 9 a.m., a particular pictures exhibition will open at Hostages Sq. for the general public to view all through the day, till 6 p.m.
The primary stage at Hostages Sq. can even function speeches from kinfolk of the hostages at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m., the discussion board mentioned.
Solidarity marches representing particular industries will probably be held in Tel Aviv all through the day, together with a docs’ march at 9 a.m., and a college students’ march at 5 p.m.
The scholars’ march will probably be adopted by a press release to the press from senior teachers.
Varied companies and organizations collaborating within the strike may have representatives current at vigils in Hostages Sq. all through the day, rotating on an hourly foundation, the discussion board mentioned.
Then at 6 p.m., a prayer service will probably be held at Hostages Sq. earlier than protesters march with hostages’ households from Tel Aviv–Savidor Heart railway station to Hostages Sq. for a fundamental rally at 8 p.m.
Convoys of vehicles will set out from throughout Israel at 4 p.m. to converge in Tel Aviv for the night rally.
A number of occasions and protests have been deliberate for areas exterior of Tel Aviv as nicely, together with a protest convoy within the Western Galilee, in northern Israel, and a protest exterior the Mall Hayam shopping center in Eilat, all the way in which within the south of Israel.
Protesters name for Israelis to affix a nationwide strike in assist of the hostages, on August 16, 2025. (Benny Meshy/Professional-Democracy Protest Motion)
Some native councils have additionally organized their very own occasions in solidarity with the households of the hostages, together with the Haifa Municipality, which, along with the households of hostages, will maintain a rally at 10 a.m.
In the meantime, various occasions had been additionally deliberate within the communities near the Gaza border that bore the brunt of Hamas’s lethal invasion.
A number of convoys of tractors are anticipated to make their manner alongside Route 232, the very important southern road-turned-killing area the place, on October 7, Hamas terrorists gunned down civilians making an attempt to flee the assault.
The native Sha’ar HaNegev and Eshkol regional councils will probably be on strike all of Sunday, and teams within the border city of Sderot and close by Ofakim will maintain their very own demonstrations as nicely.
Within the days main as much as the strike, tons of of native authorities, companies, universities, tech corporations and different organizations introduced that they’d be a part of the strike or permit workers to affix in the event that they wished to.
Though the Histadrut, Israel’s fundamental labor union, introduced that it could not be a part of the strike, it mentioned it could however assist employees planning to take part in protest rallies on Sunday.
The choice by the labor union to not take part adopted a gathering between Histadrut chair Arnon Bar-David, senior representatives of the enterprise sector, and representatives of the households of hostages organizing the strike.
He defined to the households that he was involved that the involvement of the highly effective union would divert public discourse across the return of the hostages into politics.
“If I knew {that a} strike — not only for in the future however longer — would finish the matter, cease the struggle and convey again the hostages, I might go for it with full pressure,” Bar-David mentioned. “Sadly, and though my coronary heart is bursting with anger, it has no sensible final result.”
Unions and organizations that introduced plans to again the strike or assist workers who wished to protest included the Discussion board of Cultural and Artwork Establishments, the Israel Airports Authority workers union, and the Israel Bar Affiliation.
A large Israeli flag emblazoned with the faces of the hostages is displayed at Hostages Sq. in Tel Aviv, as a nationwide strike will get underway, on August 17, 2025. (Yair Palti/Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board)
An anti-government protest group representing dozens of the nation’s largest tech corporations, collectively using tens of hundreds of employees, additionally introduced final week that it could be a part of the strike. Among the many tech corporations are Wix, Fiverr, Meta, Papaya World, HoneyBook, Pure Intelligence, and Fireblocks. The group additionally consists of enterprise capital funds resembling Qumra Capital, Pitango, Disruptive, and NFX.
Terror teams within the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, together with 49 of the 251 kidnapped within the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the struggle in Gaza. They embrace the our bodies of at the very least 28 confirmed useless by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive, and there are grave issues for the well-being of two others, Israeli officers have mentioned. Hamas can be holding the physique of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.
The Hamas-run Gaza well being ministry says greater than 60,000 folks within the Strip have been killed or are presumed useless within the combating to this point, although the toll can’t be verified and doesn’t differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Sharon Wrobel contributed to this report.
