Meet the organizations behind hostage protests in Israel

Numerous organizations in Israel are protesting to try to move the needle on how the Israel-Hamas war is waged, and on how the country fights to bring home hostages held by Hamas.

Some are fighting for a deal, while others have tied the issue of elections to freeing the hostages - saying that only a new government will bring them home. Other organizations are pushing for increased military pressure, and have come out against various deal proposals.

Here are a number of organizations who are leading protests or civil campaigns to try to determine the future of the Israel-Hamas war:

The Hostage Family Forum

The Hostage Family forum is a civil society effort that was founded less than a day after the Hamas attack on October 7. Alongside lobby and diplomatic efforts to bring the hostages back, the forum offers a wide variety of services to family members of the hostages including mental-health services, legal aid, medical support and more.

The forum hosts a rally, often attended by tens of thousands, in Tel Aviv each Saturday night; and local branches of the forum host similar protests and rallies in cities across Israel, in cooperation with other organizations.

The hostage family forum has called for a hostage deal and has said that it is the only way to bring home the 120 Israelis still held hostage in Gaza. It has refrained from calling for elections or from taking a partisan approach.

Beyond rallies, the forum has also organized numerous delegations abroad to advocate for the release of the hostages and initiated special projects including creating a hostage Passover Haggadah and hostage cookbook.

As of October, the forum represented around 700 family members of hostages, according to Israeli media. The forum did not respond to the request for updated numbers. 

Hasamba

Hasamba is an organization within the Hostage Families forum made up of the young family members of the hostages.

Hasamba was founded when Ella Ben Ami, daughter of hostage Ohad Ben Ami and Raz Ben Ami who was released in the November deal, realized that older family members were exhausted from fighting for their loved ones. Deciding the younger family members should take on a more active role, they founded Hasamba.  

Hope Forum

The Hope Forum represents some family members of hostages and "works to help with the quick release of all the hostages - from a place of national responsibility and trust in the resilience of the IDF and the state of Israel."

The forum has pushed for more military pressure and a continued IDF offensive in Gaza and has come out against a number of versions of proposed hostage deals.

It is not clear how many family members the forum represents, and the forum did not respond to The Jerusalem Post's request for comment on this.

The Women’s Protest for the Return of the Hostages.

The Women's Protest for the Return of the Hostages is a civil organization that was founded in January of 2024 with the purpose of bringing the hostages home.

The organization calls to create the conditions that will allow for their return and bring about a hostage deal now.

The women's protest believes that their role is to "sound the voice of women which is missing from the decision making table - a voice which chooses life and believes that saving life is the most important thing."

The women's protest has organized many small protests around the country, and a number of large marches. Family members of hostages often attend and speak at these protests.   

The Black Flags

The Black Flags is a protest organization that long predates October 7, and has been protesting the government for years. Recently, the Black Flags organization was active in protests against the Judicial reform.

The organization ties bringing the hostages back to bringing down Israel's current government. In the past few months, the organization has been involved in organizing some of the largest protests since the outbreak of the war.

They are joined by other, similar protest organizations, many of which were very active in protests against the Judicial reform and tie the return of the hostages to the fall of the government.

Some of these include young people protest organizations - The Day After and Change Generation. Other similar organizations include the medical-professional's protest the White Coats, Kaplan Force, and women's protest organization Bonot Alternativa (Women Building an Alternative).

Valor Forum

The valor forum is a forum of 150 bereaved families whose loved ones have fallen in the Israel-Hamas war. Their goal is to "continue the mission started by their loved ones," by strengthening the government in the war against Hamas.

The forum also strives to "support the continuation of the fighting in spite of foreign pressure, and ensure that no one stops the mission of defeating [the enemy] in the middle."

The forum has organized protests and hosts bereaved family members to share information about their loved ones at the forum's encampment near the Knesset.    

The Anti-Occupation Bloc

The Anti-Occupation Bloc is another organization that predates October 7, but in its wake has been protesting for the immediate end of the war and return of the hostages.

The bloc is made up of multiple organizations and individuals, and this coalition was formed during the 2020 protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Standing Together

Standing Together, also founded long before the Israel-Hamas war broke out, is a grassroots peace organization that is working to "mobilize Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel against the occupation and for peace, equality, and social justice."

Since soon after the outbreak of war, they have protested and run online campaigns, calling for the return of the hostages, a ceasefire deal, and the immediate end of the war.

Residents and evacuees from the north and south

Residents of Israel's western Negev have banded together to fight for the interests of the people in the area and others harmed by the war, forming Kumu (Stand Up).

The organization seeks to "unite the voices of the evacuated and harmed communities: The Gaza envelop, the north, cities, towns and kibbutzim."

Similarly, residents of Israel's north which has been under fire since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war founded Fighting for the North, an organization calling on the government to ensure the safety of residents of the north.

Local heads of municipalities along the "conflict line" in the north have also banded together to found the Conflict Line Forum. The conflict line includes municipalities up to 9 km. from the northern border. This organization attempts to handle the needs of those living in the area, especially concerning security. This organization has been very openly critical of the government, but has not said that elections are the only path to a solution for the north.