Netanyahu to meet bereaved families who threatened hunger strike until IDF enters Rafah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set Tuesday to meet eight representatives of a forum of bereaved relatives of people who died in the October 7 Hamas onslaught, following a threat by the families to start a hunger strike until the military enters the Gazan city of Rafah.

The Heroism Forum, which has pushed for increased military pressure on the Palestinian terror group, announced on Sunday that its members would launch a hunger strike immediately after Passover, lamenting the “intolerable delay” in the Rafah offensive, which has been promised for months.

The forum slammed the reportedly brewing hostage deal, which reports have said could pave the way to a long truce, as an “embarrassing capitulation deal,” arguing that embracing it would be a surrender to international pressure and go against the stated war goal of dismantling Hamas.

Tonight, after Passover has ended, the forum updates that it is postponing its hunger strike until after it meets with Netanyahu tomorrow at noon.

“If we hear things that justify canceling the strike — we will cancel it,” it tweets.