Mother of hostage soldier Nimrod Cohen calls to end war at vigil outside IDF headquarters

Viki Cohen, mother of hostage soldier Nimrod Cohen, calls for Israel to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages, at a Shift 101 sit-in vigil outside the IDF military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

“We have received the painful news that another soldier has fallen in this cursed war — Sergeant Yaniv Michalovich, 19 years old from Rehovot, an Armored Corps soldier like Nimrod,” says Cohen, whose son Nimrod is also a Rehovot native, and was 19 when he was captured by Hamas from a tank on the Gaza border with three other soldiers, who were all killed and their bodies taken hostage.

The Cohen family has received indications that their son is still alive in captivity.

“We are here to say enough,” says Cohen. “We are asking to end this nightmare.”

Cohen touches on the reports that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich could thwart a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.

“A Jew who was raised on the values of mutual responsibility doesn’t speak that way,” says Cohen. “I sincerely hope that President Trump will use all his power and all his influence — on both Hamas and our prime minister — to push for a deal that will bring everyone back in one go, not in stages, and not in parts.”