Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend rallies across the country Saturday night demanding the return of the bodies of 18 slain hostages still held in Gaza after the last living hostages were released Monday under the ceasefire deal with Hamas.

In a press release on its central rally planned for Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said “the agreement that was signed to bring back the hostages is being blatantly violated — our struggle is not yet over.”

“Our moral, ethical and national duty is to bring back everyone, until the last hostage,” said the Forum. “Their return is a necessary step toward rehabilitation and genuine Israeli renewal.”

The hostage deal required Hamas to release the remaining 20 living hostages, and the deceased hostages accessible to it, within 72 hours of Israel’s October 10 withdrawal to the so-called Yellow Line inside Gaza. At least one slain hostage’s relative has criticized the government for failing to insist on a precise deadline for the release of the slain hostages.

Hamas released the living hostages in time and has so far released 10 of the last 28 slain hostages still in Gaza. In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Hamas has said it would require additional machinery to locate the remaining 18 slain hostages. Israel has accused Hamas of lying, and the Families Forum has called for the ceasefire deal, which includes steps to address Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, to be suspended over Hamas’s failure to return all the bodies.

“Following a week........

© The Times of Israel