Thousands of Israelis are expected to join a nationwide strike on Sunday in protest of the government’s plans for Gaza. 

The initiative, led by families of hostages held by Hamas, was welcomed by Israel’s high-tech sector, universities, and opposition leaders. 

“You can just stop for one day and say this is terrible, this is sad, that you’re not looking away and not telling people whose lives have been destroyed to ‘be quiet,’” an opposition leader, Yair Lapid, said on Tuesday.

“Strike because the families asked, and that is reason enough. Strike because no one has a monopoly on emotion, on shared responsibility, on Jewish values,” he added.

On Monday, the Histadrut chairman, Arnon Bar-David, who represents more than 800,000 employees, met with families of hostages to discuss their initiative. 

While Mr. Bar-David said that Histadrut won’t join the nationwide strike on Sunday, the union will support “a show of solidarity” from workers. 

“If I knew that a strike — not just for one day but longer — would end the matter, stop the war and bring back the hostages, I would go for it with full force. Unfortunately, and although my heart is bursting with anger, it has no practical outcome,” Mr. Bar-David sad.

The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters said that “now is the time to act, to take to the streets, to support the hostage families, to support the soldiers’ families, to determine the fate of the hostages and the future of our state.”

“Hundreds of thousands of businesses, tech companies, organizations and citizens have already joined. Join us for the economic shutdown and the call to bring back the hostages and end the war,” it added. 

Major high-tech companies announced they would join the strike, including Wix, Papaya Global, and Meta, as well as venture capital funds such as Qumra Capital and Pitango, Disruptive, the Times of Israel reported. 

Tel Aviv University’s president, Ariel Porat, also announced that he would join the strike and allow university staff to do the same. 

“May the cry of the hostages and their families be heard, and may it reach the hearts of those who can work for their return,” Mr. Porat said. 

The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Haifa University, and Ben-Gurion University have also announced they will participate in the strike on Sunday. 

“The State of Israel has no future without the return of the hostages. We will not stand by. The university administration encourages all members of our community to join and express solidarity with the families of the hostages,” a statement from senior faculty members at Hebrew University said.

The Israel Bar Association said it would allow staff members to participate in the strike without getting their salaries reduced

“We call on the Israeli government — listen to the chief of staff, to the voices of all heads of security services and listen to the voice of the people, work to release the hostages, bring a deal to free them now, before it’s too late,” the association said.