Israeli captives’ relatives call for general strike to ‘stop the war’
A group of family members of Israeli captives has announced plans for a nationwide strike on August 17 to protest against the government’s aims to expand the war in Gaza, according to Israeli media reports.
The general strike – involving private firms, labour unions and citizens allied with the cause – aims to stop economic activities for the day, Israel’s Arutz Sheva media reported.
Anat Angrest, a mother of an Israeli captive, urged the public to join the strike. “I know that the heart we share hurts, but it’s not enough. Silence kills,” she said at a news conference, according to Arutz Sheva. “That’s why I’m here today to ask for what I’ve avoided until now, to ask the leaders of the economy. You have the power. Your silence is killing our children.”
Reut Recht-Edri, whose son Ido Edri was killed during the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel, was quoted by The Times of Israel as saying: “We will all pause next Sunday and say: ‘Enough. Stop the war. Return the hostages.’ It is in our hands.”
Antiwar activists storm Big Brother live broadcast in Israel
A group of Israeli activists have stormed a live television broadcast to protest against the continuation of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Wearing “Leave Gaza” T-shirts, several young members of the Standing Together activist group jumped onto the stage and sat on the floor during the airing of the Big Brother show on Channel 13.
In a social media post, Standing Together said its members “gave a speech against the government’s plan to continue the horrors in Gaza, a plan that will kill the hostages, kill the Palestinians in Gaza, and kill the soldiers”.
It added: “There is no normalcy alongside this reality, no business as usual.”
עומדים ביחד התפרצו לשידור חי של האח הגדול
עם מסר ברור
עצרו את המלחמה, הצילו את החטופים pic.twitter.com/WuFMY2VGUV
— לירי בורק שביט (@lirishavit) August 9, 2025
Israel’s Supreme Court orders government to respond to captives’ families
Several family members of captives still held in Gaza have filed a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court, demanding clarification.
They wish to be formally informed about how governmental discretion is exercised in connection with “determining the conditions for ending the war and releasing the hostages”, according to Israeli media.
The court has now decided that the state is required to submit its response by August 24.
Tens of thousands of protesters have been taking to the streets in Tel Aviv and other cities in Israel every week to call for an immediate end to the war and the release of all captives. A group of families is now pursuing a general strike to further pressure the government to agree to a deal.
