Father of Israeli hostage urges Trump to 'force' Israel to end Gaza war

The father of an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza, joined a group of protesters outside the White House Monday to plead for an end to the war in Gaza, the release of hostages, and humanitarian aid access to the besieged enclave.

“Only Donald Trump can save my son," Yehuda Cohen said in an interview with an Anadolu, holding a photo of his 21-year-old son Nimrod Cohen, one of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

In an appeal to the US president, who is set to receive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later Monday for in-person talks, Cohen asked he "force Netanyahu to end the war and go for a hostage deal."

The protest came as Netanyahu arrived in Washington to meet with Trump. Protesters held signs that read “End the Gaza War. Save All Hostages,” while many voiced frustration over what they described as Netanyahu's refusal to end the war and secure a hostage deal.

Cohen said the most recent news he received about his son came from other hostages who were released under a ceasefire earlier this year, confirming that Nimrod was still alive.

Wearing a shirt that read “Ceasefire and Hostage Deal Now,” Cohen said he had been asking for a hostage deal and an end to the war in Gaza for more than a year. "We are still asking that. This is the only way my son will be free.”

He criticized Netanyahu for putting his personal interests and political survival above the lives of the hostages.

“He's got right-wing extremists in his coalition who want the total occupation of the Gaza Strip. They want to rebuild settlements there and that's why they are threatening that they will withdraw from the coalition if we go for a ceasefire,” Cohen said.

Noting Netanyahu's corruption trial in Israel, he accused the Israeli premier of “doing everything to postpone this trial.”

“He knows that if he will lose his position as a prime minister, his trial will speed up and a verdict will come which will put him into jail.”

Hadar Susskind, president and CEO of the group New Jewish Narrative, told Anadolu that the protest was organized in direct response to Netanyahu's visit.

“We reached out to bring this group together today because Netanyahu is here meeting Trump,” he said. “We demand an end to the war, the return of all hostages, and sending in aid to the people of Gaza and an end to all of this.”

Asked if he believes a ceasefire deal could happen this week, Susskind said he remains cautiously optimistic. “President Trump has said he wants to see it, and he has the capacity to pressure Netanyahu. President Trump can make it happen,” he said. “We need not just a temporary pause — but an end to this war.”

Since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023, more than 57,500 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.