Members of the Gvura Forum of families who lost loved ones fighting in Gaza marched to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem on Thursday morning, vowing to block the entrance in protest against the proposed hostage deal and Gaza cease-fire.
The families erected a symbolic installation of coffins draped with Israeli flags at the protest encampment, symbolizing what they call the “blood price” Israel will pay after the deal. Demonstrators chanted "A freed terrorist is tomorrow’s murderer" and "No deals with the devil."
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Bereaved families protest Gaza cease-fire deal outside PM's office in Jerusalem
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Israel and Hamas announced an agreement on the hostage deal on Wednesday following several days of intense negotiations. Under the deal, 33 hostages will be released in stages over 42 days, and the IDF will adjust its troop deployment in Gaza. On the 16th day of the first stage, discussions will begin on the second phase of the deal.
Despite the agreement, technical details remain unresolved. The Israeli negotiation team, led by Mossad Director David Barnea, stayed in Doha overnight to finalize the agreement’s implementation, including finalizing the list of prisoners to be released, which includes convicted terrorists.
The protest comes amid Netanyahu’s claim that "Hamas reneges on parts of the agreement," which the terror organization has denied. As a result, a Security Cabinet meeting scheduled for 11:00 a.m. to approve the deal was postponed.
The meeting was to be followed by a government session where the finalized list of prisoners would have been published. According to Israeli law, the public will have 48 hours to file petitions to the High Court of Justice against the deal and the list of prisoners to be released.
The families, joined by supporters, spent Wednesday night outside the Prime Minister’s Office, urging the government to halt the emerging deal with Hamas. Yehoshua Shani, the chairman of Gvura Forum and father of Captain Ori Shani, who fell in combat in the Gaza border region, called on the public to join the protest at 11:00 a.m. in Jerusalem and appealed to Cabinet ministers to block the deal, which he claimed endangers hostages and Israel's security.
“We spent the night here outside the Prime Minister’s Office. It was, of course, hard to sleep out of anxiety for the fate of the hostages and the security of the people of Israel,” Shani said. “We call on the prime minister and the Cabinet to stop this at the last moment. Don’t sign a deal that amounts to surrender, the abandonment of the remaining hostages, and jeopardizing Israel’s security. Come here before the Cabinet meeting and join us in urging the prime minister not to sign a deal that surrenders to Hamas.”
4 View gallery
Coffin installation installed outside PM's office in Jerusalem in protest of Gaza cease-fire
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
“This deal will lead to the result symbolized by these coffins, where more and more soldiers will end up in such coffins," Shani warned. "Members of the government, it’s in your hands to stop this catastrophe.”
David Bohbot, the father of Elkana Bohbot, 35, who was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, also voiced frustration: “We are waiting for good news. How has the Israeli government not brought everyone back in this deal? It’s something I can’t find peace with. After all this time, how is it possible that not everyone is home? I’m disappointed and angry. Everyone needs to be brought home.”
Speaking passionately, Bohbot criticized the selective criteria for the deal: “This selection process determines the fate of people. Such a thing must not happen in Israel. We’re disappointed with the deal, which should have included everyone. If you’re stopping the war—release them all. My son is injured, he has a child at home and he is defined by humanitarian law as a priority. I expect him to be part of this phase. If you’ve set a criterion, you must stick to it.”
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Yitzhak Pitourim, father of Staff Sgt. Yishay Fitusi who fell on October 7, urged Cabinet members not to "buy security from external forces."
“Nineteen years ago, we were promised that we’d be able to act, and then my son returned to fight,” he said, referring to Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005. “History is repeating itself. By agreeing to release hundreds of terrorists, you are creating more bereaved families in Israel. There must be no compromises—neither from Trump nor Biden. This deal will not bring anyone back later.”
Wally Wollfstal, father of Capt. Ariel Wollfstal, who died in the January 2024 Gaza building collapse disaster, expressed his anguish: “I never imagined my son would return in a coffin. Today, we stand in front of 50 symbolic coffins representing soldiers who may be killed. I call on the prime minister and the Cabinet—ask yourselves, is this what we want? We want all the hostages home. I have two sons still serving in the reserves, and I want them healthy and safe, not in these coffins. You promised to destroy Hamas and secure the Philadelphi Corridor. Even in Gaza, we can win this war.”
Ya’akov, father of Sergeant Major (res.) Yossi Hershkovitz, who was killed by an explosive device in a booby-trapped tunnel shaft in Gaza in November 2023, added: “A 42-year-old man went to war. Perhaps they were naïve to think that returning the hostages would end the humiliation of this nation. If the Israeli government knew four months ago that this was its plan, why did they send more soldiers? Who benefited from this? We must continue until everyone is home. Who says that those who remain captive today will be released tomorrow or the day after? There are no guarantees.”