The 53 hostages being held in Gaza should not be forgotten, their families said Wednesday, as public attention continued to shift to Israel’s war with Iran.
The family of Matan Angrest, an IDF soldier violently taken hostage during the October 7 massacre from inside a tank, protested in Tel Aviv on Wednesday along with activists from the Women’s Protest to Bring Back the Hostages. The small crowd gathered, holding huge signs with the faces of the hostages.
“During these terrible days when an entire country is running to shelter from the terror of rockets in this unending war, we are not forgetting the hostages for a moment,” the protest organization said.
“While strikes are being carried out thousands of kilometers from here, we remind everyone: First and foremost, we must immediately bring back those abandoned 40 minutes away for 621 days through a deal.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the focus must remain on the hostages. “Even in our most terrifying moments in bomb shelters, as we hold our families close, our thoughts turn to those we cannot protect: our sons, daughters, parents, siblings, and spouses who remain trapped in the tunnels of Gaza,” it said Wednesday.
Recent reports had indicated that there may be renewed momentum in negotiations to bring the hostages back, the forum said.
“We welcome any progress toward a comprehensive deal and urge all parties to act with courage and urgency to seize this critical moment: Advance a deal that brings them all home,” it said, adding that the hostages’ time was “running out.”
Return of all hostages together, without stages, without conditions
The Tikva Forum, which represents some families of hostages and has pushed for more military pressure as a means to bring them home, on Wednesday said: “The obvious needs to be stated: Any arrangement, deal, or framework that moves forward with Iran or with Gaza must include the return of ALL hostages together, without stages and without conditions.”
“The map has changed,” it said. “Israel is winning in a way that has stunned the entire world. Our impressive victory over Iran must be matched with victory in Gaza. Why surrender and end in defeat even as we win against Iran? Why harm the hostages, our loved ones, by abandoning some in the hands of Hamas, the cruel enemy?”
Protests for the hostages have been ongoing, even as security restrictions prevented gatherings. Individuals have stood in front of the homes of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers, holding signs with hostages’ faces, as others have gone on individual marches or held yellow flags in their cities.
In another initiative to continue to advocate for the hostages during the state of emergency in Israel, Ayelet Samerano, whose son Yonatan is being held captive, took part in a Zoom interview on Tuesday.
Yonatan’s family was notified that he was killed in captivity in December 2023.
“I have great hope, and I believe in miracles,” Samerano said Tuesday. “I have no certainty, and what I’m left with is hope and faith – to keep telling Yonatan’s story. That’s what gives me strength.”