Israel seeks to extend truce with Iran to Gaza to recover hostages
The recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which ended a fierce 12-day war between two regional enemies, has opened up a new avenue of hope and internal pressure in Israel. While the international community and the media focus their attention on this unprecedented truce, Israeli civil groups and opposition leaders are now demanding that the ceasefire be extended to another hotspot: the Gaza Strip.
Families of the hostages: “The ceasefire agreement must expand to include Gaza; we call on the government to engage in urgent negotiations that will bring home all the hostages and end the war. Those who can achieve a ceasefire with Iran can also end the war in Gaza.”
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) June 24, 2025
After 12…
On Tuesday morning, the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Iran officially came into effect after nearly two weeks of military exchanges that left several people dead, wounded and caused extensive material damage. However, calm has yet to return to Gaza, where the war has been raging since 7 October 2023, causing a serious humanitarian crisis and leaving dozens of hostages still in the hands of Hamas.
In this context, the Hostages and Missing Persons Forum, an organisation representing the families of those kidnapped, urged the Israeli government to take advantage of the diplomatic momentum with the Iranian regime to also close the Gaza front. 'Whoever can achieve a ceasefire with Iran will also be able to end the war in Gaza,' they said in a statement issued on Tuesday, stressing the urgency of direct negotiations for the release of all hostages and the restoration of peace in the Palestinian enclave.
Currently, 50 hostages remain captive in Gaza, and only 20 of them are believed to be alive, according to official Israeli sources. For the families of those kidnapped, the recent diplomatic success represents a unique opportunity that must not be wasted.
In recent days, during the war with Iran, the Israeli army recovered the bodies of three hostages in Gaza: a soldier, Shay Levinson, and two civilians, Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, who were killed in the 7 October attacks led by Hamas.
BREAKING: Israel has recovered the bodies of murdered hostages Yonatan Samerano, Ofra Keidar and Shai Levinson from Gaza.
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 22, 2025
May their memories be a blessing 💔 pic.twitter.com/ISppoK1UEY
‘After 12 days and 12 nights in which the people of Israel could not sleep because of Iran, we can finally go back to not sleeping because of the hostages,’ they lamented in their statement.
The Forum was even more forceful in warning that ‘ending this crucial operation against Iran without capitalising on our success in recovering all the hostages would be a disastrous failure.’ For them, extending the truce to include Gaza is a valuable opportunity to simultaneously resolve two of the most sensitive conflicts facing Israel at this time.
The political opposition joined this call. Opposition leader Yair Lapid reinforced the demand for a comprehensive ceasefire with a post on social media. ‘And now Gaza. It's time to close that front too. Bring back the hostages, end the war. Israel must begin rebuilding,’ he said.
The ceasefire agreement with Iran was announced after mediation by US President Donald Trump and came just hours after Iran launched an attack on the US base at Al Udeid in Qatar in retaliation for US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. This delicate balance of retaliation and negotiations has highlighted the fragility of peace in the region.
Now, with the front temporarily calm thanks to the truce with Iran, Israel's eyes turn south, where the war in Gaza continues and the families of the hostages live in limbo.
