Families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza protest in Tel Aviv

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(26 Jun 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tel Aviv, Israel - 26 June 2025
1. Various of relatives of hostages standing at Habima square with pictures of their loved ones, chanting
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen:
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++
"I'm calling President Donald Trump. Yes, you helped us get rid of the Iranian threat, its nuclear threat. Please, finish the job like you promised and make Netanyahu stop the war."
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Udi Goren, cousin of deceased hostage Tal Chaimi:
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++
"Militarily we have proven that Israel is undefeated. But as long as we keep fighting in Gaza, we keep suffering the deaths of our soldiers, and this is not what's going to bring all the hostages back, it's not what's going to keep Israel safe in the long term future. We must reach a deal and this deal would include bringing all the hostages back home and then making sure that alongside with our allies, we keep Israel safe for the long term future."
4. Hostage relatives standing on road with pictures of their loved ones, chanting
STORYLINE:
Families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza protested in Tel Aviv on Thursday and called on U.S. President Trump to pressure Israel's government to agree a ceasefire deal and stop the war.

Families of hostages hope to ignite momentum for ceasefire talks which stalled during Israel's conflict with Iran.

Yehuda Cohen, the father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, called on Trump to "please finish the job like you promised and make Netanyahu stop the war."

Israel's war with Iran, the first between the two countries, pushed the hostage crisis and the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza to the sidelines.

Israel and Iran seemed to honor the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire, which ended the conflict, for a third day on Thursday.

Hostage families again found themselves forced to fight for the spotlight with another regional conflagration.

Udi Goren, who's cousin Tal Chaimi was killed on Oct. 7th but whose body is still being held by Hamas, said that "we must reach a deal and this deal would include bringing all the hostages back home."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, could feel he has more political wiggle room to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose.

The was in Gaza began after Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.

The Iran-back militant group is still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive.

Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu says he will only end the war once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected.

Israel ended a ceasefire deal in Gaza in March and blocked humanitarian aid from entering the territory, throwing Gaza into what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis in nearly 19 months of war.

AP video shot by Paz Bar

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