Hostage families and protesters of the women's protest movement demonstrated on Thursday outside Metzudat Ze'ev, the Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv, in a call for the hostage deal to continue.
Naama Weinberg, cousin of hostage Itay Svirsky, referred to the meeting of the six freed hostages, Doron Steinbrecher, Eli Sharabi, Naama Levy, Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, and Keith and Aviva Siegel, with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
"We woke up this morning to the images of our heroes," she said.
"In what world should people who have just been freed from captivity have to cross oceans in their medical and mental state just to meet with the President of the United States?"
"He is not their president, they are not Americans, yet they have to plead—for him to save those left behind, just as he saved them," Weinberg continued.
"Trump could be their savior. There are still dozens of hostages alive, waiting to be rescued from hell," she said.
"I call on the people to declare the war over"
Ayala Metzger, daughter-in-law of hostage Yoram Metzger, said, "It's been a year," adding, "I call on the people to declare the war over."
"We have been fighting for 517 days to free our loved ones from captivity. For 517 days, we have been promised that war would bring them back, yet we are experiencing the complete opposite reality," she added.
Her comments came a day after the new IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told the military's high command that 2025 will be a year of war.
The group met and thanked the Trump administration for its commitment to returning all hostages, shared their experiences from captivity, and emphasized the need to return all hostages immediately.
The delegation arrived at the offices of the DC chapter of the Hostages Families Forum on Tuesday to learn about what the forum has done in the capital since the October 7 massacre.