Families of Israeli hostages held in Gazaissued a public appeal Friday to U.S. President Donald Trump, urging him to intervene to stop the war in Gaza and accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of putting hostages’ lives at risk for political gain.
Gathered outside the Kaplan Gate of the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, the families delivered a statement in which Yifat Kalderon, cousin of former hostage Ofer Kalderon, directly addressed President Trump.
“Netanyahu is manipulating the situation and has managed to convince you, Mr. President, that destroying Hamas is more important than rescuing the hostages,” she said. “But that is a lie. Israel’s national and security interest is first and foremost to bring the hostages home—those who are alive for rehabilitation, and those who are not for a proper burial.”
Kalderon said the release of all hostages and an end to the fighting are essential for the country’s recovery fromthe October 7 Hamas attack. “This is not only the will of the majority, it is a fundamental Israeli interest,” she said. “Without returning the hostages, there can be no national recovery. Mr. President, don’t fall into Netanyahu’s trap. Stop the war in Gaza before it’s too late. We are at a moment of truth.”
Yehuda Cohen, father of captive soldier Nimrod Cohen, said the situation had reached a critical point. “This is day 533 that 59 hostages are held in the hell of Gaza.After sabotaging a deal, Netanyahu is now sacrificing the hostages. From this protest camp at Kaplan Gate, we say to all of Israel—Netanyahu is killing the hostages and destroying the country. Take to the streets! This is a national emergency!”
He accused Netanyahu of reigniting the war at the expense of hostages’ lives. “Instead of ending the war and bringing everyone home in one stage,he reopened the fighting and sacrificed the hostages. He unleashed hell on them—not on Hamas,” he said. “He chose this path knowingly, and aligned himself with [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich and [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir. That truth must be told in every home and media outlet in Israel.”
“Instead of choosing life, Netanyahu chose death,” Cohen added. “The war is killing the hostages. And now, there is a horrifying possibility that it may erase all trace of them. He chose war to avoid his criminal trial and a state commission of inquiry. Under the cover of war, he is dismantling the state and entrenching his rule. This is an emergency—people must not stay silent.”
Merav Savirsky, whose brother Itay was murdered in captivity, also addressed the crowd. “My beloved brother survived 99 days in captivity before he was murdered. He could have been saved. Many of the 41 hostages who were kidnapped alive and later killed due to military pressure could have been saved,” she said. “We must not let those still alive suffer the same fate. This war doesn’t bring hostages home—it kills them.”
Savirsky held Netanyahu responsible for the collapse of negotiations. “He disbanded the negotiation team, denied them a mandate, and has yet to present an Israeli proposal to bring all the hostages home,” she said. “If he truly wanted to secure their release, he would put forward a framework to end the war and bring them back. But Netanyahu only cares about Netanyahu. The blood of every hostage who dies is on his hands. Every moment of their suffering is a mark of shame on him and his government. He is enabling their deaths and tearing the country apart. We must bring them all home—now.”