Hostage family members wearing bright yellow shirts adorned with underlined, bold red letters displaying the words "Sign the deal NOW" stood on the National Mall overlooking Capitol Hill on Tuesday night with more than 100 supporters holding Israeli flags and posters of the hostages surrounding them.
The families stood between four massive banners that read "save lives NOW, give us hope NOW, seal the deal NOW."
This is the message the families are desperate for lawmakers and administration officials to carry to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before and after he addresses Congress on Wednesday afternoon before a joint session of Congress.
A full bus of supporters from the Hostage and Missing Families Forum in New York came down on Tuesday just for this demonstration, which initially was scheduled to take place on Wednesday during Netanyahu's address, but was rescheduled due to safety concerns.
American Jewish community demand a deal
Members of the local Jewish and Israeli community came out by the dozens.
Jewish community members from Philadelphia and New Jersey also made the trip down to Washington, D.C. for Tuesday's demonstration and to demonstrate on Wednesday.
Aviva Siegel, who was released from Hamas captivity after 51 days and whose American-born husband Keith remains hostage, addressed the crowd first.
"I left my husband and all the hostages with a broken heart," Siegel said. "It was one of the hardest things that I've ever done in my life, saying goodbye to Keith knowing that maybe I'll never, ever see him again."
Siegel, who has chosen not to attend Netanyahu's address inside the Capitol, said she wants the prime minister to look in her eyes and tell her only one thing, that Kieth and the 120 hostages are coming home.
Siegel spoke of her time in captivity begging for food and water, struggling to breathe in the tunnels. She said she saw girls being physically and sexually abused by their captors.
"Keith has had enough. The 120 hostages have had enough of hell," she said. "There [were] so many times that I just wanted them to kill me. We need to stop this war. I'm begging Bibi. We need the 120 hostages out."
Alon Gat, brother of remaining hostage Carmel Gat and husband of released hostage Yarden Roman Gat, shared how his family, including his then three-and-a-half-year-old Geffen waited for hours in their safe room on October 7 before Hamas terrorists broke in.
Alon, Yarden and Geffen were taken in a car toward Gaza and decided to jump out and escape. The family ran, and in order to save Geffen, Yarden handed her to Alon who hid with his daughter in a ditch. Yarden was recaptured, and released after 54 days.
"Carmel is still there right now and can be out in a deal in two weeks," Gat said. "Geffen can have the same smile she had when Yarden came home."
Carmit Palty Katzir, whose mother Hanna and brother Elad were kidnapped on October 7, then addressed the crowd. Hanna was released on November 24, and Carmit's family found out in April that Elad was killed in captivity.
Katzir later told The Post that this week is her first time in Washington, D.C. since October 7, and the days leading up to Netanyahu's address have been filled with meetings with members of Congress.
She said she hopes members of Congress will be honest with Netanyahu.
"Israel and the US are very close friends," She said. "And I think that in friendships, you need to say sometimes difficult things to your friends. The US should say, Israel there is no time. You must seal the deal. You must do whatever it takes."