The father of an Israeli hostage has called for pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move the ceasefire deal forward.
Yehuda Cohen, father of 20-year-old Israeli hostage Nimrod Cohen, was speaking at the Israeli embassy in central London, where he criticised Mr Netanyahu for “stalling” the deal with Hamas which could lead to the return of his son from Gaza.
“There is a deal on the table,” Mr Cohen told reporters.
“It started the first part, it was done the first part, second part is there by a reach.
“The only thing is Netanyahu is stalling it and I’m here to say loud and clear: We need pressure on our government, on Netanyahu in particular, to go for the second part of the deal.”
Mr Cohen added: “The thing is everything stands on our Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who refuses to get to a permanent ceasefire.
“He’s not a saint.
“He’s not doing it because of ideological reason. He’s doing it for personal reasons. He wants to stay in power.”
In the first phase of the ceasefire deal, 33 Israelis were freed – including the bodies of eight people who were killed in captivity or during the October 7 2023 attack when Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages.
Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees during the first phase of the ceasefire in exchange for the hostages.
Mr Cohen said he has heard news that his son, who was captured on October 7, is alive from other hostages who were released in the first phase.
“He’s there, he’s alive, he’s well and the only thing left is to get him released,” he said.
Three British-linked families told reporters of the horror of waiting for their relatives to be returned.
Ayelet Kaufman, the sister of Hadar Goldin, has been waiting more than 10 years for the return of her brother’s body.
Mr Goldin, an Israeli soldier, was kidnapped and killed in 2014, his sister told reporters.
She said her family, including Mr Goldin, lived in Cambridge for four years and England became a “second home” to her family.
Ms Kaufman called for her brother’s body to be returned for a proper burial.
“This is the right way, and we are here to cry for humanitarian rights of our children that are being abused by Hamas terrorists,” Ms Kaufman said.
“I’ll cry it even 10 more years from now until everyone is back home because there’s no way that we’re going to give up our kids, no way.”
British-Israeli citizen Ditza Or, mother of hostage Avinatan Or, said: “Before October 7 I was Ditza Or, with a full life, a profession.
“But since October 7, I’m only the mother of Avinatan. 24 /7 I advocate for him.”
Avinatan Or was kidnapped along with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel on October 7.
His girlfriend has since been returned, but was separated from Mr Or.
Mr Or turned 32 years old in February.
“When it was his birthday, I just wanted to give him a warm shower, or some of my chicken soup, or at least five minutes in the daylight,” Ms Or said.
“Of course I couldn’t.”
She added: “It’s important to bring the world to its peace and harmony, but first, bring all our children home, and then go on.”
In a statement at the UN Security Council last week, UK permanent representative to the UN Barbara Woodward said the Government welcomed the return of hostages in phase one of the ceasefire deal.
“And we call for the release of all the remaining hostages, including Avinatan Or, who also has links to the UK,” Ms Woodward said.
Kochav Levinson, the father of Shay Levinson, who was killed in southern Israel on October 7, said it is “appalling” that he has to hold a picture of his son.
“The terrorist organisation Hamas managed to reduce my son to a poster. My son is not a poster,” he told reporters.
Mr Levinson, who has British nationality, called for all hostages to be released at once.
“Every decent person, I believe, should say, and shout out that there should be no conditions to release all the hostages at once,” Mr Levinson said.
“No deal, no negotiation, simply release them at once. I mean, in one bus in one go.”
Noga Gur-Arye, the aunt of hostage Alon Ohel, told reporters her nephew has been injured while being held hostage.
The 24-year-old musician was captured at the Supernova festival on October 7.
“He has a shrapnel in his eye and also shrapnels in his body that were not treated from day one. He didn’t get any treatment from the time that he was taken.
“His life is in danger, and I’m sitting here and speaking with you, and he’s there, undergoing those unbearable conditions that I can’t even imagine what he’s going through right now.
“This is the most important thing that I’m doing right now in my life, trying to save my nephew’s life.”
Israel said on Sunday that a new US proposal calls for extending the ceasefire’s first phase through Ramadan – the Muslim holy month that began over the weekend – and the Jewish Passover holiday, which ends on April 20.
Under that proposal, Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the rest when an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire, Mr Netanyahu said.
