“What works in our favor is that deals are being made above the Israeli government’s head,” Shahar Mor, nephew of Avraham Munder — whose body was retrieved from a tunnel in southern Gaza in August — told +972 two days before Israel broke the ceasefire during a protest outside the military HQ. “In our opinion, this is excellent, because the Israeli government brought us absolutely nothing.”

Now, after Trump signed off on the renewed Israeli assault in Gaza, Mor and other Sha’ar Begin activists have lost hope that Washington will assist in securing their loved ones’ release. “We counted on Trump in the last month, but Netanyahu is toying with him like he toyed with Biden for 15 months,” Mor said on Thursday.