"Passover is approaching, and I want a Seder with all the family, with my little brother Eitan," released hostage Iair Horn told crowds at a mass rally in Hostages Square on Saturday evening.
The rally came amid news that Hamas had reportedly agreed to release five living hostages in exchange for a ceasefire in Gaza until after Passover. Israel has conveyed its counteroffer to the Gaza deal mediators in full coordination with the US.
"Eitan is still held captive in Gaza, 540 days, without water, without breathing fresh air, and without seeing the sun," Horn continued.
He drew attention to the plight of the hostages given the IDF's renewed airstrikes and ground operations, which he said "endanger all the hostages."
"The hostages feel now that they could be collateral damage; a terrible feeling, believe me."
He called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister Ron Dermer, and all Cabinet members to reach a deal "without fighting, without additional casualties, and especially with our 59 brothers and sisters" ahead of the upcoming festival of freedom.
Yotam Cohen, the brother of kidnapped soldier Nimrod Cohen, condemned the government's return to fighting: "We are told that this time the military pressure will bring Hamas to its knees. This is a disgusting lie. What will we do this time that we haven't done for a year and a half? Who else will we eliminate that we haven't eliminated yet? The truth must be told. 41 hostages who were kidnapped alive died in captivity because of the war. Only with an agreement will we return all the hostages."
The daughter of hostage Meny Godard, Bar, also agreed that the most important thing is to make a deal, calling to "return the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for burial."
הבימה עכשיו. המוניםרוני לוינסון pic.twitter.com/mpDshSmHJX
— Ben Caspit בן כספית (@BenCaspit) March 29, 2025
Bar's father and mother were both murdered on October 7 in Kibbutz Be'eri, and her father's body was taken hostage. Bar's words at the rally apparently came before the news on Saturday night that the IDF had located some of his remains in a PIJ outpost in Rafah.
Following an identification process conducted by the National Center of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, IDF representatives informed the Godard family, the IDF said.
Bar's words at the rally indicated she had not known her father's status at that point, as she had heard rumors earlier in the week that her father's body had been recovered but that an IDF officer had visited her family's house to dispute the claims.
"I felt like he was going to come any second and tell me that Dad was here, but the second he opened the door, I already knew," she continued. "Dad wasn't here. He told me about a daring operation and brave soldiers who tried to rescue Dad. He even said that they managed to rescue a refrigerator from an Islamic Jihad position that contained Dad's remains, but he said that the operation wasn't successful. Finally, he said, 'I'm so sorry'."
Police presence at the rallies
Large numbers of police were deployed to secure the rallies and maintain public order, the police said later on Saturday evening.
The Habima Square complex and the surrounding streets were closed to protesters. The police also said that several illegal demonstrations took place in the capital and that two protesters were arrested for violating public order and assaulting a policewoman.
"During the protest, most of the protesters dispersed, but on the other hand, a handful of protesters began a procession, clashing with the police officers on duty. A police officer declared the demonstration illegal, but the protesters continued to disrupt the order and attempted to block traffic lanes."