Israeli captives' families implore Trump to keep Gaza ceasefire on track

The terrified families of Israelis being held captive in Gaza are calling on US President Donald Trump to stop the ceasefire deal from collapsing and have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of purposely sabotaging the agreement.

Though Hamas has regularly released captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees since a ceasefire in Gaza took hold on 19 January, the fragile deal is now in serious danger.

Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod has been held in Gaza since the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, is now in Washington trying to convince officials to keep the agreement on track.

"Netanyahu always sabotages the deal,” he told Middle East Eye, “whether by ordering soldiers to fire on Gazans who are approaching the perimeter or by the issue of humanitarian aid."

Trump has caused chaos in recent days by declaring that the United States should take over the enclave and all its 2.2 million Palestinians should be permanently expelled.

Read more: Israeli captives' families implore Trump to keep Gaza ceasefire on track