Tikva Forum for Families of Hostages
Calls to free the captives once united Israelis, but as the war dragged on, weekly protests in Tel Aviv morphed into bitter political battlegrounds.
“In my conversations with them, one request kept repeating, touching and heartfelt: that we maintain unity. That we not allow disputes to dismantle what held us together in the most difficult moments,” the president wrote.
“President Trump has accomplished what many said was impossible. His determination never wavered, even when others lost hope.”
Uncertainty and risk around any course of action means Israelis need to stand firm and have faith, said Ditza Or, whose son, Avinatan, remains in captivity in Gaza.
“Israel will allow a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population in order to make certain that no starvation crisis develops in the Gaza Strip.”
The Tikva Forum denounces Tel Aviv demonstration, says protesters are endangering the captives to topple the government.
The Gvura Forum opposes calls to end the fighting in Gaza before Hamas is destroyed.
“You decided to negotiate, you decided to go for an agreement—bring everyone back together,” said Tikva Forum co-founder Tzvika Mor.
Hostage families, bereaved parents and IDF reservists call to free every captive by vanquishing Hamas.
“You are directly responsible for all the blood that will be shed,” bereaved father Eliyahu Libman said in remarks directed to the Israeli government.
As some celebrate the abductees’ imminent release, others fear the deal endangers those left behind, and also Israel’s national security.
Opponents in Jerusalem warned that concessions would invite further abductions, while in Tel Aviv demonstrators said a deal with Hamas was the only moral move.