Families of hostages rally outside Netanyahu’s residence and in Washington, demanding a comprehensive deal for the release

With photographs of the remaining 59 hostages clutched in their hands, families of Israeli captives and their supporters staged coordinated protests on Monday, April 7, to mark a year and a half since Hamas launched its brutal assault on southern Israel.

Demonstrators gathered at 6:29 a.m.—the exact time the terror group’s October 7 attack began in 2023—outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem. Similar rallies were staged at the homes of other senior Israeli cabinet members.

Organisers described the protest as “a wake-up call,” accusing the government of pushing the hostage crisis down its list of priorities. “There is nothing more pressing than returning all of the hostages,” a statement declared.

While the families stood vigil in Israel, Netanyahu arrived in Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump. At the Blair House, a group of around 50 Israeli-Americans and American Jews welcomed him with chants and placards demanding swift action to secure the hostages’ return.

The protests come amid growing public frustration with the government’s handling of hostage negotiations. Critics say Netanyahu has prolonged the war in Gaza to appease far-right elements of his fragile coalition, even as the families of hostages plead for a negotiated release.

The Hamas-led assault on October 7, 2023, left 1,200 Israelis dead—mostly civilians—and 251 kidnapped into Gaza. A temporary ceasefire in November saw the release of more than 100 hostages, primarily women and children.

A second truce in January 2025 enabled the return of dozens more, some alive, others in coffins, exchanged for humanitarian aid to Gaza and the release of over 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners from Israeli jails.

The ceasefire was meant to lead to further talks aimed at ending the war and securing the release of all remaining captives. But Israel refused to enter a second phase of negotiations, and Hamas declined to extend the truce, prompting renewed combat operations.

At the Jerusalem protest, Erez Adar—whose uncle Tamir Adar was murdered by Hamas—called on Netanyahu to strike a sweeping deal that would bring back every hostage, living or deceased.

“It is the most important subject of the day,” he said. “We need to return everyone, the living for rehabilitation and the dead for burial, for us to have a better future here.”

Varda Ben Baruch, grandmother of hostage Edan Alexander, echoed the sentiment and urged Netanyahu to act during his US visit. Quoting from the upcoming Passover Haggadah, she said, “Now is your moment of truth. You should sit there with President Trump and finish a deal for everyone to get home.”

Many fear that renewed Israeli military activity in Gaza has placed the remaining captives in even greater danger. Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat died in captivity, pleaded for urgent intervention: “President Trump — please. It’s been a year and a half. There’s only one word to yell — enough, enough of this nightmare.”