Thousands of protesters calling to bring the hostages home and for a hostage deal gathered Monday, in the second day of mass protests following the news that the bodies of six hostages, recently alive, had been retrieved from Gaza.
Israel's airport was closed Monday morning; healthcare providers, companies and more participated in a countrywide strike for a deal, as crowds gathered to protest around the country.
Thousands gathered outside the IDF military headquarters Monday afternoon, and protesters blocked intersections and highways, emphasizing that the six hostages, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino, were all alive a few days ago and could have been brought home alive.
Protesters called to bring the hostages home now, stressing that there is no time to waste when hostages' lives are in danger.
The Valor Forum, an organization of bereaved families calling for additional military pressure, protested against a hostage deal outside the prime minister's office Monday morning.
Protests intensify across Israel
Dozens of bereaved families and many supporters gathered to support the call not to make a deal and to end the strike, the organization said.
Additional protests calling for a hostage deal are planned for Monday evening, with a central protest outside the IDF headquarters, a protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Azza Street home, and a protest outside the Prime Minister's Caesarea home planned for the evening.
"Half a million people took to the streets of Israel last night in a demand that a hostage deal be made now," the Hostage Family Forum said in a call to join the protests.
"The hostage families call on the public to vote with their feet today as well, and continue to fight alongside them in order to achieve the number one goal of the war - a hostage deal that will bring all the hostages home."