Families of hostages held in Gaza protested in front of the US embassy in Tel Aviv on Tuesday and called on President Donald Trump to secure a US-backed ceasefire agreement to bring home the captives and end the war.

They displayed an art installation showing a table with a mock-up agreement to end the war and large, imitation Nobel Peace Prize medals emblazoned with Trump's face.

Many Israelis accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political purposes, and mass protests calling for a ceasefire and hostage release deal have swelled in recent weeks.

"President Trump, this is your moment. This is your deal, built with American leadership, ready to be signed. Hamas has already signaled its willingness. What stands in the way right now is delay and political maneuvering from our own government," said Dalia Cusnir, sister-in-law of hostage Eitan Horn and Hamas captivity survivor Iair Horn.

Israel began mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists and repeated evacuation warnings as part of its plan to widen its offensive in Gaza City, which has sparked opposition domestically and condemnation abroad.

Ruby Chen, father of hostage Itay Chen, compared Netanyahu's decision to continue fighting in Gaza to former US President Richard Nixon's prolongation of the Vietnam War.

"He wanted to look strong. He wanted to win a second term. The cost of that war for two more years were 8,000 US soldiers that were killed, lost in the name of paranoia and political ambition," he said.

"Mr. President, do not let history repeat itself with this war."

Fewer than 50 hostages remain in Gaza, and Israel believes about 20 are alive.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war.

Since then, a total of 63,633 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to Gaza's health ministry, which says another 160,914 people have been wounded as of Tuesday.

The ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up around half the dead.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but staffed by medical professionals. UN agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of war casualties.

Israel disputes them, but hasn't provided its own toll.

AP video by Alon Bernstein