Bereaved Families Protest Outside Cabinet Meeting Ahead of Trump Talks

Bereaved families demonstrated Thursday evening outside a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to advance to a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire or reconstruction process without the defeat of Hamas and the return of all fallen and captive Israelis.

The protest was held as the cabinet convened to discuss Netanyahu’s upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Participants included families from the Gvura Forum, a group representing relatives of fallen soldiers, who warned against international pressure to soften Israel’s war objectives.

Protesters carried signs and chanted that the government had “no mandate” to rehabilitate Gaza or move forward diplomatically while Hamas remains intact and Israeli hostages or remains are still held. Particular emphasis was placed on the demand to recover the body of Ran Gvili, killed during the war, before any transition to a next phase.

Energy Minister Orit Strook briefly left the cabinet meeting to address the families, thanking them for what she described as moral backing for the government. She said Israel had not yet achieved victory and insisted that there could be no progress without the full dismantling of Hamas.

“There is no fake disarmament and no partial solution,” Strook said. “Total victory means total defeat of Hamas. Before that, Israel must not advance or retreat anywhere.”

Also joining the protest was Tzvika Mor, chairman of the Tikva Forum and father of former hostage Eitan Mor. He argued that the war’s primary purpose was not hostage recovery but restoring Israeli sovereignty and removing the threat from Gaza.

“Wars are not fought to return hostages,” Mor said. “They are fought to remove existential threats. If this war ends without permanently eliminating Hamas, we will be condemning our children and grandchildren to fight in Gaza again.”

Izik Buntzel, a senior member of the Gvura Forum whose son was killed in combat, warned against allowing diplomatic pressure to dictate Israeli policy. He said Israel must not accept excuses rooted in American or international demands and stressed that the fallen soldiers did not die for half-measures.

“We are not another star on the American flag,” Buntzel said. “We are a sovereign state.”

Danny Steinberg, whose son served as a brigade commander, echoed the message, saying Netanyahu’s mandate was to rebuild Israeli society, not Gaza. He told the prime minister that hundreds of bereaved families were standing behind him, but only if he upheld the war’s original goals: the collapse of Hamas and the return of all hostages.

The demonstration underscored growing pressure from bereaved families demanding that Israel’s leadership hold firm ahead of Netanyahu’s high-stakes meeting in Washington.