The families of several hostages urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finish the Trump-backed deal for Gaza in Saturday statements on social media.
"After two years of suffering, I feel closer than ever to hug my son Matan again," Anat Engerst, the mother of hostage Matan Engerst, said in a statement on X/Twitter.
Yotam Cohen, brother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, said that "if the results of tonight are a hostage deal and an end to the war, there is no one who deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more than President Trump."
Bar Godard, daughter of murdered hostage Meny Godard, expressed her doubts regarding the possible implementation of the steps laid out in the deal. She noted that after experiencing "countless disappointments" at the hands of previous failed hostage-ceasefire deals, relief and celebration will only come "when all the hostages are on Israeli soil and all the soldiers have returned safely to their homes."
The families will hold a demonstration at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to mark two years since the October 7 massacre, a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated.
Hostage families respond to the Trump deal
"We are in decisive days for a deal- days that will determine when the living hostages return for rehabilitation and the deceased return for proper burial," the statement said. "This is the hour when all of Israel must stand together and demand loudly: do everything possible to bring our brothers and sisters home."
The forum called on demonstrators to send a clear message to the government that they "will not stop until the last hostage returns."
This follows Hamas' announcement of their willingness to cooperate in US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan that would lead to the release of all 48 hostages still held in Gaza. Negotiations regarding the deal are ongoing but reportedly in the final stages.
Smotrich, Ben-Gvir to sabotage deal, families warn
Families of hostages also warned that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir will try to sabotage the deal.
“This is the 729th day that my Matan is in captivity," said Einav Zengauker. "We have never been so close to getting Matan and the rest of the hostages back.
And I know that the closer we get, the more Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, and Netanyahu will do everything to sabotage my chance to hug Matan.
We cannot rely only on Trump. I call on all citizens of the country, everyone who supports the return of the hostages, everyone who supports ending the war and bringing back all the soldiers, come out to the streets with us!”
She then said the Israeli public must stand against Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, calling them "professional saboteurs, who boasted about thwarting past deals."
Opposition leader Yair Lapid also said on X/Twitter on Saturday afternoon that "when Shabbat comes out and you hear a lot of threats from Smotrich and Ben Gvir, remember that they have nothing to threaten with.
"An absolute majority in the Israeli Knesset and an absolute majority of the people of Israel support the Trump deal. For three years, you have been lecturing us about 'the will of the people' and 'the will of the majority.' This is what the majority of the people want."
Gadi Eisenkot said that, "Two years since the gravest failure in history, it is time to bring back the hostages, even at the cost of tough decisions, and to begin repair and healing."
National Unity head Benny Gantz said, "My heart is with the families of the hostages tonight. We face a complex and long path until the return of all our hostages."