Israeli hostage relatives tell President Trump to build on victory against Iran by ending Gaza War

During a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Thursday, several relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza urged U.S. President Donald Trump to build on his success in ending the war with Iran by working to bring the Gaza War to an end.

“President Trump, as you took the decision to end the Iran war, I’m asking you to take the decision to bring my son back to life from the tunnels - end the Gaza war now,” said Einav Zangauker, according to a Jerusalem Post report.

Zangauker, whose son Matan is still in Gaza, has been a vocal critic of the Netanyahu government.

Last month, she harshly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s choice of Maj.-Gen. David Zini as the next head of Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, after he was reported to have stated he is “against hostage deals.”

“Netanyahu wants to appoint as head of the Shin Bet, which is responsible for returning my son, a person who declared that he is against returning my son,” Zangauker said. “This is un-Jewish, inhumane, and will not pass.”

Another speaker at Thursday’s demonstration was Udi Goren, whose second cousin, Tal Haimi, was killed during the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 attack and whose body is being held by the terrorist organization.

Goren praised Trump’s actions against Iran and asked him to use his power to end the war and ensure the return of the hostages.

“As if there were ever a sliver of doubt, this last victory over Iran was the absolute proof: We have a true friend in the White House,” Goren said.

“You’ve brought back Edan Alexander,” he continued, addressing Trump. “And now we’ve come to the final leg of this race: Bringing everyone back home. Everybody.”

The calls to end Israel's war against Hamas came on the same day Israel Hayom published a new report suggesting that Trump and Netanyahu may have a plan to bring an end to the conflict in the next two weeks.

“Gaza hostilities will conclude within two weeks, ending conditions [the conditions for ending the hostilities] will encompass four Arab nations (including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates) to administer the Gaza Strip, replacing the murderous Hamas terrorist organization,” Israel Hayom reported, citing an anonymous source.

The report also claimed that the Abraham Accords would eventually expand to include Syria, Saudi Arabia and others, asserting that “Israel will declare its willingness for future Palestinian conflict resolution under the ‘two states’ concept.”

Although a recent Pew Research poll found that fewer than 25% of Israelis currently support a two-state solution, Trump has previously expressed support for the idea of a future Palestinian state.

In 2020, the Trump administration’s "Peace to Prosperity" plan stated that, if implemented, it “would achieve mutual recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people and the future state of Palestine as the nation-state of the Palestinian people – each with equal civil rights for all its citizens.”