In the shadow of the negotiations for the release of hostages abducted by Hamas into Gaza - negotiations which according to the reports is one of the reasons for the delay in the beginning of the ground war in the Strip - the protest of the hostages' families continues. On Thursday in Tel Aviv they held a public news conference, aimed at both the local and international media. Just before it began in the plaza of the Tel Aviv art museum – which has been renamed by the families "Kidnapped and Missing Square", rocket warning sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and environs, and those attending it had to evacuate to a protected area.
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Meirav Leshem Gonen, mother of Rumi, 23, who was at the music festival at Re'im and was kidnapped to Gaza, said that "20 days have passed. 20 days. 20 days we have no idea how they are doing or how they are being treated, if they are okay, if they are breathing, where they even breathe. 20 days that ask us to be patient. 20 days, can you imagine? A mother, a father, a child, a parent who doesn't know where his loved one is, can you even imagine? Because we live it every day, all of us. We were very patient , beyond a lot, but that's it. Our patience has run out. Our patience has run out."
Leshem Gonen addressed he comments to the Israeli government. "To all our leaders, we are citizens of the State of Israel. Our expectation is that the State of Israel will take care of us. That it will take care of our loved ones. That it will ensure their safety and that it will also bring everyone back today, everyone. We should take advantage of every opportunity There is now to make sure they all return," she said. The audience shouted in response: "Today!"
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Meirav Leshem Gonen, mother of Rumi, 23, says '20 days have passed, our patience is running out
(Photo: Yair Sagi)
Eyal Eshel, the father of Roni, 19, also spoke to reporters. "Roni is a soldier in the IDF. Roni is my girl, she is under your care, under your responsibility. 20 days and the Israeli government is silent. 20 days and no man or woman tells us what happened to her; what happened to her? We have information and we have videos and we have a snapshot and all this we got on our own. What do you do every day, what do you do all day? I demand one thing - get up from your chairs, try to put your heart in my place and take responsibility. Don't turn your back on me. We've all run out of patience," he said.
Avinatan Or was also kidnapped from the music festival in Re'im, and the video of his girlfriend Noa Argamani being taken into Gaza by Hamas terrorists became one of the symbols of the evil of the surprise attack on October 7. "You know him from the video in which his girlfriend was kidnapped and he walked beside her. He could have run away, he had options, but he stayed to protect his girlfriend and didn't abandon her," said his mother. "We call on the State of Israel not to abandon him."
Before the press conference, the members of the families shouted in English on the museum plaza: "Free then now", after arriving there from two marches that left from the Egyptian embassy and from Kaplan Street. One of the family members cried out, also in English: "Where are you human rights organizations? We are not sleeping. Give us your support."
They also shouted, "200 families don't sleep at night!", and one of the demonstrators turned to Gal Hirsch, the coordinator of prisoners and missing people on behalf of the government. "You can bring them back, bring them back. You can't? Pass the baton to someone else. We don't have time to give chances. We need them now because the window of opportunity is closing. Gal Hirsch, are you able to return the girl to me or not?"
Orit Meir, the mother of 21-year-old Almog Meir Jan from Or Yehuda, who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from the music festival in Re'im, addressed his comments to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "Bibi, now is the time to make a deal and return all the hostages to Israel. I am begging you. Try to imagine that it was your son who was kidnapped to Gaza. Bring Almog home. Now!"
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Hostages' families gathered in Tel Aviv to demand that the government bring them home
(Photo: Yair Sagi)
Almog, a discharged soldier, called his mother Orit at 7:45 a.m. on Black Saturday, and told her that the festival was ending because there were "explosions and gunshots." He told her he loved her, promised to update - and hung up. Five hours later Hamas published a video in which Almog is seen handcuffed and scared with four other young men in a musty room, apparently in captivity in Gaza. It was the last sign of life that the family had from Almog.
The demand of the families that the government do everything in order to free their family members comes following reports of advanced contacts, mediated by Qatar and with the involvement of the US, for the release of hostages. On Wednesday, Qatar claimed that there was a "breakthrough" in the talks, which have already led to the release of four hostages: Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, who are American citizens, as well as Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper - whose husbands were also kidnapped and remain in captivity.
On Thursday evening, a senior Qatari official told Sky News that he believes that all the civilian hostages in Gaza can be released within days, "but this will not happen before the cessation of hostilities." According to him, "any Israeli ground attack will complicate the situation." On Wednesday night senior officials in Israel stated that there is a reasonable chance for a significant deal brokered by Qatar for the release of a significant number of abductees from Gaza, with an emphasis on women, children and the elderly.
However, the government has emphasized that the contacts for such a deal will not cancel the ground incursion, and that it will be carried out. Along with this, the understanding in Israel is that once the ground invasion begins the chance of a broad deal for the release of the hostages will decrease dramatically.
In his statement Wednesday night, Netanyahu announced for the first time that the release of the hostages is a central goal of the war effort, and a similar message was also voiced by Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday. "We have been engaged in uncompromising efforts day and night for the past two weeks, in order to fulfill the moral order and the national duty to return our sons and daughters home. We are doing This is in every possible way, in every path we have, in every means at our disposal. The return of the hostages and the missing is an integral part of the war effort," Gantz said.
President Isaac Herzog, who was with the families of the abducted and murdered during a visit to Rahat on Thursday, also addressed the issue, and stated that he supports the Cabinet's policy. "I want to say something to the families of the abducted - this is a huge national challenge which is at the top of our national priorities. This is a very important challenge that we are working on with sensitivity and responsibility every hour and every day."