From the Liveblog of
Saturday, April 12, 2025
Hundreds hold Passover Seder at Hostages Square with families of Gaza captives
Hundreds of Israelis are holding a Passover Seder at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, joining a number of hostage families who are marking a second “holiday of freedom” without their loved ones who are still being held in Gaza.
Among those on site is Vicki Cohen, the mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen.
“We can’t go on with life. It’s just not right — it’s not right for Israeli society that there are 59 hostages in captivity,” she says in a statement.
Also present is Ofir Angrest, whose older brother Matan is another Hamas hostage.
“Passover is the most family-friendly holiday, so we don’t take it for granted that so many people left everything and came to mark the holiday with us in Hostages Square. It’s really moving,” he says.
“There is no other place I’d rather be,” Revital tells the Davar news site, adding that she came to Tel Aviv with two of her friends from northern Israel to support the hostage families.
They brought food along with folding chairs and tables to set up in the square.
“We as a people have not been able to breathe [for the past 18 months], so I prefer not being able to breathe at the Passover Seder table here in Hostages Square,” Revital says.
Meanwhile, former hostage Romi Gonen reflects on being able to mark her first Passover since being released from captivity earlier this year.
“My first holiday at home. A holiday that is not really a holiday,” she writes on Instagram.
“My head is here, but my heart is there. I want to be happy, but the difficulty is overshadowing. Please set up an empty chair, A yellow pin, and a piece of masking tape marking the number of days that the hostages have been in captivity. We must not forget them,” she adds.
