'There won't be anyone left to bring home' soon

Families of Gaza hostages march on the Knesset, demand return to negotiating table

Relatives say they know price will be high for releasing remaining 135 hostages, but say they want the government ‘to be brave in their decisions’

Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

Families of hostages held in Gaza march to the Prime Minister's Office and the Knesset in Jerusalem on December 12, 2023, demanding a resumption of negotiations (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)
Families of hostages held in Gaza march to the Prime Minister's Office and the Knesset in Jerusalem on December 12, 2023, demanding a resumption of negotiations (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)

Family members of the hostages held in Gaza marched to the Knesset Tuesday night and again Wednesday morning, hoping to push the government toward negotiations with the Hamas terror group on bringing their loved ones home.

“We don’t have that much left in us and we want the government to be courageous in their upcoming decisions,” said Nadav Rudeif, holding a sign for his father Lior Rudeif, and four other men abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7. His father was wounded while fighting the terrorists that day, and in on medication following a massive heart attack two years ago.

“We know the price will be high for releasing 137 people who have been held for 67 days,” said Rudeif. “We want to give them our support to make courageous decisions, to be brave in their decisions because it won’t be easy. It will raise a lot of eyebrows in Israel.”

As Rudeif and the others were marching to the Knesset Tuesday night, the Israel Defense Forces announced it had recovered the bodies of civilian Eden Zacharia and IDF Warrant Officer Ziv Dado, who were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7.

Some 1,200 people — mainly civilians — were murdered by terrorists on October 7. It is now believed that 135 hostages remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 18 of those still held by Hamas, due to new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.

Family members and supporters of the remaining hostages drove to Jerusalem on Tuesday afternoon in a convoy from Latrun, a central location along the highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

One of the tractors driven from the Gaza border communities to the Knesset on December 12, 2023 to demand a return to negotiations to bring the Hamas-held hostages home (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)

The convoy included four tractors driven from the Gaza border communities that were hardest-hit in the deadly Hamas assault of October 7.

They gathered in a square outside the Supreme Court building, situated at one end of Kaplan Street, with the Knesset and the Prime Minister’s Office at the other end.

Wearing black Bring Them Home Now shirts and sweatshirts, umbrellas with the same logo held aloft, volunteers from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum handed out sandwiches and neon glow sticks and tall white candles, imploring the marchers not to allow children under ten to hold the lit candles.

In the cold, dark drizzle, they marched past the Cinema City mall and turned left onto Kaplan Street, the candles flickering in the wind as they called for the immediate return of their loved ones from Gaza.

Meirav Gonen, second from right, whose daughter, Romi Gonen, has been held captive in Gaza since October 7, was part of march to Knesset on December 12, 2023 (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)

“Time is up, we need a deal on the table,” they chanted. “All of them, now!”

As they gathered around the podium set up across from the tent outside the Prime Minister’s Office, a speech was given by Yarden Gonen, the sister of Romi, taken hostage from the Nova rave, who said that her family wasn’t able to bring themselves to light Hanukkah candles this year — not with “their light, Romi, still in Gaza,” said Yarden Gonen.

She called upon the government to move ahead with negotiations to free the remaining hostages.

“You’re the people we elected, you know what to do,” said Gonen. “We didn’t pick you by chance.”

Gonen’s grandmother, 87-year-old Iranian-born Dvora Leshem, has been going to the homes of Knesset members and ministers, including Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

“There won’t be anyone left to bring home” if more time goes by, Leshem told Gallant.

Leshem also recorded an emotional plea in her native Persian to Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, asking them “for a favor,” as fellow grandparents of a similar age, to help free her granddaughter.

By 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, family members of hostages were back on Kaplan Street, surrounded by supporters carrying the now-familiar placards of hostages’ faces and signs telling the government that the time is up, and a new hostage deal needs to be negotiated.

Family members and supporters lined up in a human chain along Kaplan Street, from a tent set up outside the Prime Minister’s Office down the block toward the Knesset.

Tomer Aloni, whose cousin, Tsahi Idan, has been held captive in Gaza since October 7, was part of human chain outside Knesset on December 13, 2023 (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)

“This helps, it’s a support,” said Tomer Aloni, pointing to the human chain.

Aloni’s cousin, Tsahi Idan, was abducted by Hamas terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, after Idan’s eldest daughter, Maayan, 18, was killed by bullets shot through the family’s safe room door.

Idan’s hands were covered with his daughter’s blood when he was led, shellshocked, by Hamas terrorists from his home and taken to Gaza, said Aloni.

“Everything helps, every sign, every picture you see in Israel and abroad, and the connections to anyone who can help,” said Aloni.

Aloni said the family did receive one sign of life about Tsahi two weeks ago, when one of the released hostages said they had seen them.

“But since then, what do we know about what condition is he in?” said Aloni. “I eat for him, drink for him, think about him all the time.”

Wednesday morning’s human chain was organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which planned on remaining outside the Knesset for a number of hours despite the rain, according to one of the organizers.

Hadar Horesh and Barak Ben Ezra, whose uncle, Avraham Munder, has been held captive in Gaza since October 7, were part of human chain outside Knesset on December 13, 2023 (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)

Hostage Avraham Munder’s niece and nephew, Hadar Horesh and Barak Ben Ezra, stood in the human chain, holding placards of their 78-year-old uncle.

Their aunt Ruti Munder and cousins, Keren Munder and her nine-year-old son, Ohad, were released two weeks ago. At the time, they received word that other captives had seen Avraham and that “he was okay, but that was almost 20 days ago,” said Horesh.

The presence of supporters and the constant pressure on the government is helpful, said Ben Ezra.

But, he said, his aunt and cousins are “not good, they’re tired,” he said. “And they don’t know what’s happening to Avraham.”

Most Popular
read more: