EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / Mourners march with the bodies of the Al Jazeera journalists who were killed in an overnight Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City, from Al-Shifa hospital to their burial at the Sheikh Radwan cemetery in Gaza City on August 11, 2025. Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera said on August 11, that five of its journalists were killed in an Israeli strike. Al Jazeera said five had been killed: correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh along with camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has endorsed a call for a nationwide strike this Sunday to show solidarity with the 49 hostages still held in Gaza, 27 of whom are believed to be dead.
In a post on X, Lapid urged all Israelis, regardless of political affiliation, to participate. “Strike because the families have asked — that’s reason enough,” he wrote.
The initiative began with about 20 hostage families demanding action after 675 days of captivity. While Israel’s main trade union federation, Histadrut, declined to officially declare a strike, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum is pushing for grassroots participation.
Tensions have risen as Israel’s security cabinet recently approved expanding military operations into Gaza’s remaining areas, raising fears for the hostages’ safety.
Since the war began in October 2023, over 61,000 Palestinians and 1,219 Israelis — mostly civilians — have been killed, according to official and UN-verified figures.
