“We are in the midst of a deliberate operation to thwart an agreement for the return of the hostages — a loss of direction that will have no atonement,” the forum said, announcing that the national day of solidarity,” titled “Israel Stands Together,” will open with a statement from hostage families.
Families of the hostages called on the public to join them at protest sites across the country and at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. “Stand by our side, stand by the soldiers and reservists, by the bereaved families,” they urged. “This is the time to end the war. This is the time of the hostages. Only the people will bring the hostages home.”
Events will begin at 6:29 a.m. — the time marking the start of the Oct. 7 massacre — when giant flags will be unfurled outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. From 7 a.m. for about three hours, protests will be held at junctions nationwide. At 7:10 a.m., hostage families will hold a press conference.
At 10 a.m., organizers will stage a “Mothers and Strollers” demonstration. From 3 to 6 p.m., “giant convoys” will move through the country. At 4 p.m., an exhibition of drawings by captivity survivors will open at Hostages Square. At 5 p.m., the public will take part in a symbolic event, “Placing notes in the Cabinet,” also at Hostages Square, while additional protests will take place across Israel.
At 6:30 p.m., participants will gather at Tel Aviv’s Savidor Central train station for a mass march led by hostage families, heading to Hostages Square. The day will conclude at 8 p.m. with a mass rally at the square.
The rally at Hostages Square during the massive strike last week
(צילום: אמיר גולדשטיין)
“Do not give up on the hostages,” the forum urged. “Israel stands in convoys, rallies and actions for the hostages.” Unlike last week, the forum emphasized, Tuesday’s events will not include strikes but will instead showcase broad public support for a deal.
The families warned of another possible obstruction of a hostage deal. “The return of more hostages is now at risk of being thwarted,” they said. “That is why we call on the people of Israel to join a massive civilian solidarity day — ‘Israel Stands Together’ — for the hostages, for the soldiers worn down under the burden, and for the tens of thousands of evacuees waiting to return home safely.”
Following last week’s Day of Pause, which concluded with a massive rally at Hostages Square drawing tens of thousands of protesters, the forum said: “The people of Israel are proving that their values are saving lives and bringing back their loved ones before all else — the living to rehabilitation and the fallen to a worthy burial in their homeland.”
The forum had announced another day of protest for Sunday but later canceled it after reports of progress in negotiations. Over the weekend, however, it decided to move ahead with a large-scale protest Tuesday.
The High-Tech Forum, representing dozens of technology companies and venture capital funds, announced Monday it would back the hostages’ families and allow employees to leave work early to participate. Organizers said the move follows last week’s broad turnout, when hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrated.
“The people of Israel showed the world they want everyone home,” the forum said. “There is a deal on the table, and Israel refuses to enter negotiations that could bring everyone back. We cannot give up. ‘Do not stand idly by your neighbor’s blood’ is not a slogan but a supreme value. Now the government must prove it is not abandoning its sons and daughters to die in the tunnels.”
Among the companies joining are Meta, Wix, Monday.com, Fiverr, Playtika, Fireblocks, Unity, Papaya Global, Tyto Care, Forter, Natural Intelligence, RiseUp, Reason, ZIG and others. Participating venture funds include Qumra, Disruptive, NFX, Sky, TriVentures, F2 Venture Capital and more.
