Hostage families on flotilla heading to Gaza border
The two-hour voyage, led by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, included a symbolic act near Gaza’s coast where families shouted messages of hope to the captives and tossed 50 yellow life jackets into the sea, accompanied by the distress call “Mayday.”
“We’re sailing to Gaza’s maritime border to cry out for our loved ones held by a murderous terror group,” the families said, warning that expanding the war “puts them at immediate risk of death or disappearance.”
She pleaded with Cabinet members to “think with their hearts,” recalling the pain of having one son returned while Eitan remains captive. Protest groups, rallying under the slogan “They have no mandate to expand the war and sacrifice hostages and soldiers,” plan to flood the streets after the 6 p.m. cabinet meeting.
Organizers reported that demonstrations will intensify, with a major rally in Tel Aviv and others in junctions and towns across the country. The forum urged Zamir to resist endangering captives, saying, “You’re the people’s army commander. The people want the war to end and the hostages returned. Don’t leave anyone behind.”
The proposed four-to-five-month operation would involve capturing Gaza City and central camps using four to six divisions, aiming to avoid harming hostages. The plan includes pushing civilians south toward the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, similar to past evacuations, relying on regular troops rather than widespread reservist mobilization.
Ministers, uninformed prior to the meeting, expressed frustration over the lack of briefings, with some noting the last cabinet session was three weeks ago. Government sources insist Netanyahu’s push for occupation is genuine, aimed at defeating Hamas to increase chances of rescuing hostages, arguing the status quo endangers them further, as seen in harrowing videos of captives Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski.
