TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A protest ship organized by relatives of Israeli hostages is sailing toward Gaza, according to Israel Hayom newspaper on Thursday, August 7, 2025, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
The fleet, accompanied by about 20 relatives, is being coordinated with the Israeli forces and will not approach the coast of the enclave, the media reported.
Hoda Abdel-Hamid from Al Jazeera said the fleet's action was a "desperate move by families worried about the fate of their loved ones."
They hope their journey sends a message to the Israeli government and somehow reaches the hostages, she said.
"One of the [captive’s] fathers actually has a megaphone and is addressing his son, hoping he can hear, telling him to hold strong, that the families are behind him," an Al Jazeera reporter said.
"It’s also a message to the government that time is running out and that the life of their loved ones has to be a priority," she added.
Israel Rejects Ceasefire Deal
In mid-July, a spokesman for the military wing of Hamas said Israel had rejected a ceasefire agreement that would release all captives held in Gaza.
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Al Qassam Brigades, said in a nearly 20-minute video that the group had offered a "comprehensive deal" in recent months that would free all prisoners at once. However, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the ministers of his extreme right-wing bloc rejected the offer.
"It has become clear to us that the government of the criminal Netanyahu has no real interest in the captives because they are soldiers," he said, as reported by Al Jazeera.
He added that Hamas supported an agreement that would guarantee an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the entry of humanitarian aid for the besieged Palestinians.
A day earlier, a physical confrontation occurred outside the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv between security forces and relatives of hostages held in Gaza during a demonstration demanding their release.
Israeli Hostage Families Protest
The demonstration occurred as the Israeli government planned to escalate its genocidal war into full occupation of the besieged enclave.
Protesters besieging Kirya, the central military headquarters of Israel, on Wednesday, demanded that the Israeli government not proceed with its plans.
"Time is running out – our loved ones can’t wait any longer," said the Hostage and Missing Families Forum in a statement. "We either bring them home now, or we lose them for good. There are moments in history when we must stand up and do what’s right – this is that moment."
The families of Israeli hostages have intensified their criticism of Netanyahu in recent months amid massive protests across the country, as the expansion of military ground attacks and deadly bombings in Gaza could jeopardize the release of their loved ones.
Netanyahu's plan for Gaza contradicts domestic, international, and even its own military opinion.
Protesters, including the father of captive Guy Illouz, tried to force their way into the military headquarters, as seen in a video verified by Al Jazeera.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in southern Israel, and more than 200 were captured. About 50 captives are still in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. In Israel's genocide in Gaza, at least 61,158 Palestinians were killed and 151,442 were injured.
The families also delivered a direct message to the Chief of the Israeli Army, Eyal Zamir, "You know this war has run its course, and the only path to real victory is a single deal that brings everyone home."
The local police chief asked the families of the hostages to speak with him, saying, "We understand your frustration." He acknowledged that they could protest, but asked them not to disrupt the police.
Protesters tried to enter the headquarters, demanding that military actions should not take place in areas suspected of holding the captives in Gaza.
The Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, reported on Wednesday that Itzik Horn, the father of Israeli hostage Eitan Horn, said that the families of hostages held in Gaza opposed the expansion of the war in Gaza.
He was reported to have questioned Netanyahu's motives, as the Israeli defense establishment said the expansion would endanger the lives of the captives.
"I expect the prime minister to speak to the public, to explain the implications of this idea to the country and the price we’ll pay," Itzik Horn said, according to Haaretz. "We are the people. I want the prime minister to explain why he wants to kill my son."
Meanwhile, a small clash occurred in an anti-war demonstration organized by Standing Together, the largest grassroots Arab-Israeli movement in Israel, in the Gaza Envelope, located 7 km from the Gaza border. A protester was arrested, and flour was thrown towards the police from a parcel carried by the protesters.
Earlier videos recorded from the Yad Mordechai Junction, a kibbutz in southern Israel, showed Standing Together activists gathering to march towards the border with Gaza.
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