Thousands of Israelis are expected to take part in pro-hostage deal and anti-government rallies across the country on Saturday night, as Gaza truce-hostage talks appeared stalled after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiators from Doha.

For the second weekend running, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum will begin its main weekly rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, from which participants will march to the US Embassy Branch Office to demonstrate there.

Anti-government hostage families protesting in front of the Israel Defense Forces headquarters on Begin Road, and anti-government activists protesting on Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, are also expected to join the march to the US mission, as they did last week.

The first part of the Families Forum rally, at Hostages Square, will feature speeches by Or Levy, who was released from Hamas captivity in February as part of the last truce-hostage deal; Ela Haimi, wife of slain captive Tal Haimi; and Omer Biran, an IDF reservist whose brother, Cpt. Reei Biran, was killed in an apparent accident in Gaza earlier this month.

The second part of the rally, outside the US mission, will feature speeches by captivity survivor Iair Horn, who was released a week after Levy as part of the same hostage deal, and whose younger brother Eitan is still captive; Yael Adar, mother of slain hostage Tamir Adar; and Yotam Cohen, brother of captive soldier Nimrod Cohen.

The Forum will demand “a comprehensive deal that........

© The Times of Israel