Family members of the hostages and other protesters calling for the return of the hostages blocked the Ayalon South highway near Tel Aviv, holding up signs saying, among other things, "The abandonment of the hostages = the destruction of the Third Temple," referring to the destruction of the Second Temple marked on the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, a religious day of mourning.

If there's one issue that encapsulates the widening gap between Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the Jewish diaspora – especially, though not exclusively, in the United States…

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on Israelis to join protests to call for the hostages' release at Hostage Square and other locations in Israel on Saturday evening.