Families of those slain and kidnapped on Oct. 7 urge Israelis to remember victims when they vote

By Jessica Steinberg

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

Bereaved families who lost loved ones in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre observe a minute of silence and deliver a special statement at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on the morning of Israel’s general elections, October 27, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

At 6:29 a.m., the hour when Hamas terrorists began the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack, family members of those killed and taken hostage on that day gather in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square for a moment of silence, followed by statements asking Israelis to go out and vote, in memory of those who can no longer exercise that right.

Sigal and Yoram Yehudai, parents of Ron Yehudai, who was killed at the Nova desert rave, tell how their son hid in a yellow garbage dumpster that day, waiting to be saved.

“On October 7, that cursed day, the State of Israel abandoned our beloved son Ron,” says Sigal Yehudai. “It abandoned him and all the citizens of Israel when it allowed thousands of terrorists to launch a murderous attack on the State of Israel. And it abandoned our Ron again and again, until 11:47 a.m.,” when he was killed.

Yehudai thanks the tens of thousands of Israelis who left their families and jobs all over the world to vote in the election, to support the nation.

She asks the citizens of Israel to do the same, to vote for parties that have committed to establishing a state commission of inquiry that “will give us answers and bring peace to our weary souls.”

Her words are echoed by 12 other sets of parents, including Eyal Eshel, father of Roni Eshel, the surveillance soldier killed at the Nahal Oz army base; Einav Zangauker, whose son, Matan Zangauker, was abducted and released in October 2025; Ruby and Hagit Chen, parents of Itai Chen, a soldier killed on October 7, his body taken captive, all familiar faces from months of struggling to bring home the hostages and bodies of those killed in Gaza.

“My brother loved this nation and its people,” says Ofri Tzur, whose brother, Amir Tzur, was a paramedic killed in battle in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. “Through his courage, Amiri teaches me what responsibility means. On the other hand, there are those who try to evade responsibility and obscure the truth. To convince us that everything has returned to normal. That we can elect the same government again. As though nothing happened.”

She asks Israelis to go out and vote, in memory of the fallen, for the future, for the children’s future, for the sake of hope.

At the end of their statements, the speakers sign their names on a giant ballot box that is white rather than blue, mimicking the traditional Israeli death notices.