The Hi-Tech Headquarters, which represents hi-tech companies, startups, and venture capital funds, will join a strike initiated by families of hostages held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza, Globes reported.
The strike is scheduled for next Sunday, and participating companies will allow their employees to take the day off work to show "solidarity" with the hostages still held in Gaza, their families, and some of the bereaved families whose loved ones were massacred on October 7, 2023.
The goal of the strike is to force an end to the war in Gaza and prevent Israel from retaking Gaza, instead insisting that the Israeli government agree to a deal with Hamas - no matter what the terms.
Among the companies joining the strike are large firms like Wix, Fiverr, Fireblocks, Honeybook, and Natural Intelligence, as well as venture capital funds such as Qumra Capital, Pitango, Disruptive, and NFX.
Many of these companies are linked to senior members of the protest headquarters, some of whom have worked together as a group since they began protesting against the judicial reform in early 2023. With the outbreak of the war, they became a sort of "civil headquarters," providing voluntary assistance to soldiers, evacuees, and those who suffered PTSD in battle.
The hi-tech companies are joining other private companies and workers' unions that are expected to strike August 17. The strike was announced Sunday morning during a press conference in front of the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv.
Parallel to this, thousands of Israelis have donated a sum of half a million NIS to support the strike, a statement read.
On Monday, senior members of the Business Forum are expected to meet Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David in an effort bring the organization to join the strike, Globes added.
The Hi-Tech Headquarters stated: "We are at a crucial moment in the story of the Israeli nation, and we do not intend to sit idly by. The Chief of Staff’s words are clear: We are sending our soldiers into a death trap and absolutely endangering the lives of the hostages."
"This is a moment when every Jew and Israeli to whom the values of the sanctity of life and mutual responsibility are not foreign, must show their support for the families, stand by them, and call for the cessation of the war and the return of all the hostages in one go.
"Time is running out, and we hope and expect full mobilization of all sectors in the country alongside the families. We are preparing comprehensively to assist in every way in the most crucial fight since the State's establishment."