Hostage’s father shares plight with handful of listeners at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square

In a poorly lit tent in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, Dani Miran tells a handful of people about his son, Omri, whom Hamas terrorists abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz and are believed to be holding hostage in Gaza.

The square, which on Saturday night saw a crowd of about 100,000 people demonstrating for the release of the 200 hostages still in captivity, is nearly deserted on Monday evening.

Slightly chilly weather of 17 °C (63°F) has kept the crowds away, even though a fourth group of hostages — 11 this time — are expected to be released. Multiple foreign media reporters send their dispatches from the dark square.

“It’s cold and the weather’s bad. I’m grateful for anyone who does come and blame no one for not coming. The past few days have been emotionally draining on everyone, I recognize that,” Miran, 78, tells The Times of Israel when asked about the low turnout.

Miran is spending days and nights to raise awareness of his son’s plight.

The deal is for women and children, so Miran is not expecting to see his son, who is 46, tonight.

“At this point, I only want information. Is he alive? Is he wounded? Is he sleeping in a bed? On the floor? We’re in the dark,” he says of himself, his daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters, who survived the onslaught on Nahal Oz.

When other hostages were released, “I was happy for them. Then, later, in bed… those same questions came back, as they do every night,” Dani Miran says.