'Trump you ended Iran war, end Gaza War': Hostage families call to bring loved ones home now

"President Trump, as you took the decision to end the Iran war, I’m asking you to take the decision to bring my son back to life from the tunnels - end the Gaza war now," Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is still held by Hamas, said.

"Why not leverage the achievements in Iran and launch an Israeli initiative now to end the war in exchange for returning all the hostages?" she asked, saying that the last two weeks have shown that Israel "knows how to act, knows how to win."

"The Israeli government has proven that when it wants to, it is capable of delivering results."

She added that Israeli soldiers do not need to die to bring the hostages home, that a comprehensive agreement is possible that would bring everyone back.

Bar Godard, whose father Meni was killed on October 7 and taken captive, also spoke Thursday.

"Today especially, and precisely after the unprecedented achievement against Iran - it’s important to say - there will be no true victory without bringing back the hostages," she said.

"Now especially, from a position of strength and power, we must reach an agreement. An agreement that will end the war in Gaza, so that all these achievements will be complete."

Viki Cohen, whose son Nirod was taken captive from his tank near the Gaza border, also spoke.

"My Nimrod has been rotting in tunnels for 629 nights and days. All this time I tried with all my strength to voice Nimrod’s cry. But after so much time, I’ve run out of words," she said.

Earlier Thursday, family members of the hostages and activists from The Women's Protest to Bring Home the Hostages gathered in Tel Aviv to call for the release of their loved ones.

Udi Goren, the cousin of Tal Haimi, whose body is still being held by Hamas, called US President Donald Trump a true friend of Israel.

"As if there were ever a sliver of doubt, this last victory over Iran was the absolute proof: We have a true friend in the White House," he said.

"Not only does he have Israel’s security in mind, he is willing to put his money where his mouth is - joining Israel in its military efforts to keep it safe and sound from the Iranian threat to destroy it."

Goren also said that Trump's vision for the Middle East is to create a safe, calm, prosperous region where he "would want to live and raise my daughter."

He called on Trump to bring the remaining hostages home, saying that as soon as Trump took office, "hostages came back home. You’ve brought back Edan Alexander. And now we’ve come to the final leg of this race: Bringing everyone back home. Everybody."

"No matter how victorious we are on the military front, we are still missing that diplomatic knockout. We will never be free and prosperous until all 50 are back in Israel."

"Please: put your foot down, bring all the hostages back home, and make the Middle East great again!"

Yehuda Cohen, Nimrod's father, also spoke at the protest.

"What is the excuse now? What is there still left to do in the Gaza Strip, aside from hearing about more soldiers killed almost every morning for the sake of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's throne?" he asked.

"Haven't you seen enough blood?" he asked Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

"My son is not collateral for Netanyahu's continued rule."

The women's protest said that the public no longer believes that the war in Gaza is still being waged because of security needs.

"When the campaign against Iran ends within 12 days, when even senior officials in the coalition are questioning the purpose of the ongoing war in Gaza and the failure to bring back the hostages, when more and more soldiers are falling - it is clear to the Israeli public that the government is sacrificing the hostages to survive a few more months in power and to fulfill messianic fantasies," the organization said.