From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Family of US-Israeli hostage holds rally on National Mall in DC as ceasefire starts
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
The family of one of the remaining American-Israeli hostages along with dozens of supporters are currently holding a rally on the National Mall in Washington in support of the hostage release and ceasefire deal that commenced today.
Participants thank US President-elect Donald Trump for his efforts to bring the deal over the finish line and call on him to make sure that the second and third phases of the deal are implemented, amid concerns that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will order the resumption of fighting after the first phase is complete.
Addressing the rally, American-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen’s father Yonatan hails the rare collaboration between the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration that helped finalize the deal.
עכשיו בוושינגטון: משפחות חטופים מודות לטראמפ וקוראות לו לדאוג להשלים את כל שלבי העסקה.
יונתן דקל חן, אביו של החטוף שגיא דקל חן: ״יש פה שיתוף פעולה נדיר בין הממשלים, מודים על המחויבות של הנשיא טראמפ, צריכים לוודא שכולם יחזרו הביתה״ pic.twitter.com/YeMtzfi93h— יונה לייבזון yuna leibzon (@YunaLeibzon) January 19, 2025
