Hostages’ families rally for Gaza deal outside US embassy

Relatives of hostages and scores of protesters are gathered outside the US embassy branch in Tel Aviv rallying for a ceasefire deal ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, during which the pair are expected to discuss efforts to reach an agreement.

Demonstrators hold a pink sign reading “President Trump — make history, bring them all home, end the war,” while others hold aloft giant pictures showing the faces of the 50 hostages still being held in the Strip.

“Hostage deal now,” protesters chant in English and Hebrew. Some hold American flags.

Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker and a leading voice in the movement, stands near the front of the crowd with a sign reading “Everyone in one go, end the war.”

Protesters are rallying for a deal that ends the war and brings home all the hostages, though officials say the agreement under discussion would see approximately half of the captives freed during a 60-day pause in hostilities, during which talks would take place toward ending the conflict and bringing the rest home.

“Once again, they are talking about a deal, once again the words are not everyone, later, and then the heart simply breaks,” former hostage Doron Steinbrecher says in a statement released by the Hostage Families Forum. “I know what it’s like, I was there. I know what it is to think you are coming home, only to discover that you are staying there, in the tunnels, behind, fighting for your life.”