Brother of captive soldier accuses Israel of violating ceasefire and hostage release deal

Yotam Cohen, brother of captive soldier Nimrod Cohen, tells some 2,000 anti-government, pro-hostage deal protesters outside the IDF’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv that Israel is violating the ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.

He adds that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his new hostage talks point man, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, are working to convince US President Donald Trump that most of the hostages are dead and the agreement is unnecessary.

Referring to Trump’s direct talks with Hamas — first reported on the Axios news site this week and later confirmed by the White House — Yotam Cohen says foreign leaders “have already understood that Israel is not so interested in releasing its hostages.”

“It’s an embarassment to be Israeli,” he says.

“The State of Israel is betraying the hostages,” he yells. “Netanyahu and Dermer are betraying the hostages.”

Cohen notes Israel’s failure to abide by the deal’s requirement to commence talks on its second phase, originally expected to start on February 3, day 16 of the first deal, as well as Israel’s failure to retreat from the Phildelphi Corridor, on the Gaza-Egypt border, on the 42nd and final day of the first phase last Saturday.

Nimrod Cohen is slated for release in the second phase, which would require Israel to withdraw from Gaza — a red line for Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners.

“We are on day 50 of the deal, and Israel is violating the agreement,” says Yotam Cohen.

He assails politicians who say Israel should resume intense combat in Gaza: “The same military pressure that killed more than 40 hostages until now… one in six hostages,” he says, referring to a New York Times report today.

Yotam Cohen expresses hope that Netanyahu and Dermer’s “Axis of Evil” will lose to the “column of light” comprising captivity survivors — eight of whom met with Trump in Washington this week — along with White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli-American Republican donor Miriam Edelson, who contributed handsomely to Trump’s campaign and is thought to have nudged him toward supporting the hostage deal.

Speaking after Cohen, Yifat Calderon, who is the cousin of released hostage Ofer Calderon, says hostages’ families plan to sleep outside the IDF headquarters tonight as an act of protest, urging the public to join.

An MC for the demonstration says tents have been prepared for protesters to camp outside each of the Kirya military base’s gates for days. He calls on participants in “Operation Kirya Cordon” to respect members of the security forces stationed outside the base.