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Family members of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, will begin marking day 500 of their captivity on Monday with a fast that will last 500 minutes from 11:40 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The 500th day of protests was opened by the headquarters of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum with a special statement from the relatives from the protest camp on Gaza Street in Jerusalem, before a march that began outside the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem to the Knesset.
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Families of hostages still held in Gaza march to the Knesset on the 500th day of their captivity
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
The statement of the families of the hostages began with Levi Ben Baruch, the uncle of the kidnapped Idan Alexander, reciting the "Shema Yisrael" prayer while wrapped in a tallit and tefillin on his hands.
"Today, at 11:40 a.m., we will fast for 500 minutes to show solidarity with the kidnapped men and women, who have been imprisoned for 500 days. We invite the entire people of Israel to join and strengthen the struggle for their return," said Ben Baruch.
At the Knesset, the families are participating in Knesset discussions and sharing information about the condition of their relatives. In the Health Committee, which began at 9:00 a.m., the Ministry of Health has revealed new details about the condition of the returned hostages and their treatment. Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Medical Division at the Ministry of Health, said: "We have seen the difficult pictures of people who have lost weight throughout this period. I must point out that it is not only those who are visible to the eye, there are also those who appeared to all of us to be fine - and I cannot say that they are fine until their tests are conducted at the hospital, and only then can I say what their condition is."
On Saturday, three hostages were released from captivity as part of the first phase of the cease-fire and hostage release deal and 14 others are to be released. Hamas is still holding 73 captives both dead and alive.
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Hostages included in the first phase of the cease-fire dealwho are still held in Gaza
(Photo: Avigail Uzi, Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
"We announce a day of fasting that is nothing compared to the suffering of those still there. It is a day of solidarity that would strengthen the hostages and echo the cry of those who are not heard," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said at the start of the 500th day on Monday. "There is no more time. Action is needed to return all of them immediately."
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(IDF, GPO)
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Rallies and demonstration are expected around the country to show solidarity with the hostages and in the evening, a large event is planned at Hostage Square as negotiations on the second phase of the cease-fire and hostage release deal will begin.
At 2:00 p.m., a demonstration of solidarity with the hostages will be held, to which Knesset members and non-Knesset members will be invited to stand with the families, holding pictures of the hostages.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would summon the security cabinet to discuss the next phase of the deal and had authorized the departure of a delegation to Cairo for talks.