Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza fear their government is getting distracted by the war in Lebanon and think that despite their countless protests and demonstrations, global leaders have failed them.
Earlier this September, hostages with British links, warned that an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon would “take away” the focus from those still held in Gaza.
Relatives of the six Israeli hostages executed by Hamas in August wrote a letter published in Time magazine in which they lamented that global figures had let them down.
Israelis have marched, launched major protest rallies in Tel Aviv and pressured the government to ensure the release of all hostages but as the nation marks one year since the horrific October 7 attacks they feel their loved ones will never return.
Monday marks one year since Hamas’s attack resulted in 1,205 deaths and 251 people taken hostage, with 97 still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
64 people, including two children, are still in captivity and Israel believes they are alive.
Where Were They Captured From
A report by news agency AFP said most of the hostages were taken during the attack on the Nir Oz kibbutz and at the Nova music festival.
At Nir Oz kibbutz, of the at least 76 hostages taken on October 7, 40 were released alive. Another 20 are still in Gaza and are believed to be alive. The remaining 16 are dead.
Only 17 people abducted from the festival are thought to be alive and still being held in Gaza. Only nine of at least 43 hostages taken from Nova have been released, while 17 others have died.
Freed In First Truce Deal
Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, 117, primarily women, children and foreign workers were released. The bulk of these hostages were freed during a week-long truce in late November. They were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Freed, Killed In Rescue Missions
The truce period ended on December 1. After the truce, only seven other hostages have been freed alive, all during Israeli military operations.
With no proof of life, uncertainty remains over whether the 64 are still alive.
The armed wing of Hamas said on August 12 that its fighters had shot and killed an Israeli hostage and injured two others.
Hamas has announced on several occasions deaths of hostages that have not been confirmed by Israel, leaving families in agonising limbo.
Dead In Gaza
Hamas militants have taken several bodies back into Gaza, including those of 10 Israeli soldiers, news outlets have reported. Since the onset of the war, at least 28 other hostages have been confirmed dead within the territory.
Among them, three individuals—Yotam Haim, 28, Samer El-Talalqa, and Alon Shamriz, 26—were mistakenly killed by the Israeli army on December 15, 2023. Additionally, the Israeli army has accused Hamas of executing six other hostages in August. These individuals—Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobonov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino—were found deceased by soldiers in a tunnel located in Rafah, southern Gaza.
What Now
Freed hostages, like Aviva Siegel, tells news agency AFP that her thoughts remain in the Palestinian territory where her husband Keith is still held by Hamas.
“I’m still in Gaza, I haven’t left yet,” Siegel said, describing her mental state.
“I’m with Keith in spirit at all times. I can’t bear to imagine that he and the other hostages are 40 metres (130 feet) below ground, without air to breathe, without food to eat, without anything nice.”
She, like many others who still remain in captivity, have been attending weekly protests held in the Israeli commercial hub of Tel Aviv.
The protests have only grown as organisers try to ramp up pressure on the government to seal a deal.
“I’m sick of my government that doesn’t do enough to bring back the hostages, sick of this nightmare that takes me back to Gaza every day. I’m sick of burying hostages, returning in coffins,” Raz Ben Ami, who was freed during the November truce and is now hoping for the release of her husband, Ohad Ben Ami, 55, said.
Actor Lior Ashkenazi told the crowd in Tel Aviv on Saturday that “there will be no redemption” if the government allows the Israeli captives to be “abandoned to murderers and rapists for coalition considerations”.
“No one will agree to live under a broken leadership. Cry out, beloved land, for your leaders abandon you.”
Relatives of captives addressed the crowd and said that the fight to bring everyone home will continue.
Eli Elbag, father of hostage Liri Elbag, said addressing his daughter: “It’s been a year since I last kissed you, a year since I last laughed with you.”
“We will continue to fight to bring everyone home,” said the father.
(with inputs from Associated Press, Times of Israel)
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