Israeli calls: ‘Enough! A deal or abandonment’
Yesterday night marking the 300th day of the hostage crisis, with 115 hostages still held in Hamas captivity, a massive rally was held in Hostages Square, Tel Aviv. The event saw the participation of Israel’s leading artists, families of hostages, and tens of thousands of supporters calling on the Israeli govt to make immediate deal or just announce abandonment of their loved ones.
Following are the excerpts of the participants of the rally who urged the govt of Netanyahu to immediately search for return of their family members.
Shani and May Yerushalmi, sisters of hostage Eden Yerushalmi: “Eden hid from the terrorists for four hours, during which two of her friends were murdered before her eyes. Despite her desperate attempt to hide, she was eventually caught and taken to Gaza. Her last words to the police dispatcher were: ‘Find me, okay?’ Eden is still waiting for us to find her. The artists of Israel and everyone here tonight, we’re all united in the struggle to bring them home. We will never give up and never forget.”
Nissan Kalderon, brother of hostage Ofer Kalderon: “Benjamin Netanyahu, I expected, hoped, and prayed, but time and again, you fail to do what you should have done 300 days ago: stop everything and focus on one thing – bringing everyone back immediately! Without delay, without excuses, and without foot-dragging. Yet you hesitate. For 300 days, our hostages have been suffering and dying, and with them, we too – entire families on the brink of collapse, dying a little more each day. The heads of the security system and the public support a deal to bring them back. Sign it for the sake of the hostages, the families, the people. Bring back our loved ones. Allow us to heal, to rise, to rebuild our lives. Now!”
Bat Sheva Yahalomi, wife of hostage Ohad Yahalomi: “300 days have passed since we were there, on that cursed Saturday in Nir Oz. But this story, this nightmare, continues to this day – because how can we go on with our lives when Ohad and the other hostages are still there? How can we continue when the children ask every day – why is it taking so long? Is he suffering? Is he eating? How is he being treated? And the biggest question of all – is he even alive? The way our story ends will determine the moral future of this country – will we be a state where the value of life is sacred, doing everything for its hostages, or will we be a state whose values seem to be drawn from the Hamas charter, where it’s possible and desirable to sacrifice people to defeat the enemy?”
Itzik Horn, father of hostages Iair and Eitan Horn: “Violence and antisemitism are not foreign to me. I survived the attack on the Jewish community building in Buenos Aires 30 years ago. After that terrible October 7th morning, for a month my sons were classified as missing. For an Argentinian, this is a terrible thing that takes me back to the days of the military dictatorship and the 3,000 missing who disappeared and never returned alive. I say to all the people of Israel: our reality is not a decree from heaven. We can change the situation, make noise, and bring our loved ones home.”
Anat Angrest, mother of hostage Matan Angrest: “Right now, as we speak, dozens of hostages are being tortured, dozens have already been murdered, and information about their burial sites is vanishing. There is consensus among all security agencies; there’s a brief window of opportunity for a life-saving deal that you’re about to close again. We must leverage the military achievements and finalize this deal as soon as possible.
There’s an entire nation here that won’t allow this abandonment to continue. We will keep shaking the country. My Matan, I hope you can see us and haven’t lost hope. Until you and all our hostages return to us – both the living and those who have been murdered.”
Inbal Tzach, cousin of hostage Tal Shoham: “300 days ago, Nave, Yahel, Adi, Tal, Shoshan, Noam, and Sharon were taken hostage from their home in Be’eri. 250 days ago – exactly on day 50 – six out of seven hostages in my family were released. Nave, Yahel, and Adi came home. They’re here physically, but their souls and hearts remained in Gaza. They know what it means for their father to be there because they were there themselves. They need their father to recover, to feel safe again, and to start healing their deep wounds. We must bring Tal home now, for the children, for the whole family, and for us as a people and a nation.”
Ruby Chen, father of hostage Itay Chen, may his memory be a blessing: “We don’t have the privilege to wait for a better deal. If we delay, more hostages and civilians will be sacrificed, like the 12 innocent children in Majdal Shams.
Is it too much to ask for a burial site for our son so we can find closure and be able to move on to the next chapter in our sorrowful lives?“
Meirav Leshem Gonen, mother of Romi Gonen: “I’m proud to be part of this nation. Part of the families fighting against evil – and there are many types of families. Families of the bereaved, families of the wounded, families of those murdered, families evacuated from the south, families evacuated from the north. Together, we all cry out – enough! Now is the time for our country to take one courageous action and advance a regional diplomatic agreement.
I want to speak to my Romi and to every hostage who might hear us now:
We are coming for you! With giant steps! We are acting on every front – military, political, diplomatic – both openly and covertly – to ensure that in the coming days, you will start returning here. We will not rest until you are all back home. Stay strong. We love you.”
