The 24-hour rally will open with a video message from Emmanuel Macron calling for the release of the hostages.

Organizers of a 24-hour rally calling for the release of hostages in Gaza say the event will begin with a video message from French President Emmanuel Macron.

Organized by the headquarters of the Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons, the event will be held at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, where hostages will gather across the country and around the world on Sunday to commemorate 100 days of captivity during the Hamas offensive. on 7 October, during which more than 1,200 people were killed. According to the Israeli military, 136 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 are still in Gaza – not all of them alive – after 105 civilians were released from captivity during a week-long ceasefire in late November.

Before that four hostages were freed, and one was rescued by the soldiers. The bodies of eight hostages were also found and three hostages were mistakenly killed by the army. The Israeli military confirmed the deaths of 25 people still being held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. Another person has been missing since October 7, and his fate is unknown. Hamas has also kept the bodies of dead IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli citizens, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Said, who are both believed to be alive after joining their band. own initiative in 2014 and 2015 respectively.