Organizers from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum claimed a record-breaking crowd of 400,000 attended the final rally, where former captives and relatives of those still held by Hamas delivered emotional speeches. Police did not provide an official estimate, but photos and video showed masses of demonstrators waving flags and calling for an agreement.
The rally for the hostages in Tel Aviv
(Video: Amir Goldstein)
Senior U.S. officials reacted with admiration. A White House official, after seeing images of the demonstration, reportedly said: “Wow.” According to a source familiar with the matter, photos and videos of the rally were sent to former President Donald Trump. Washington officials later asked for additional footage to “clearly see the scale of Israeli mobilization” on behalf of the roughly 50 hostages still held after 681 days.
In Jerusalem, however, the response was more muted. A senior Israeli official questioned whether such protests had any impact on negotiations: “Will demonstrations free the hostages? Sadly not. Let them demonstrate against Hamas. We already agreed to a deal, but Hamas dragged its feet after seeing how international campaigns worked in its favor. We will turn over every stone to bring the hostages home, and we are applying military pressure on Hamas.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich dismissed the nationwide strike earlier in the day, saying Israel “did not stop, not for a single moment.” He argued that only a “tiny minority” blocked roads and accused left-wing groups of exploiting the hostages’ cause to undermine the government.
“Prime Minister, the people are with you,” Smotrich said. “Stop considering partial deals and give the army the order to finish this war with complete victory.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir echoed that sentiment, calling the strike a failure. “These are the same protests and roadblocks we saw before October 7,” he said. “They weaken Israel and do not bring the hostages closer to home.”