In special address, hostage families demand PM stand by own proposal for deal to bring back captives
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

Hostage family members call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fulfill the ‘Netanyahu deal’ currently on the table and approved by the Biden administration, in a press conference held at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday afternoon.
“We need Hamas to say yes and we need our prime minister to keep his eye on the ball and get this deal done,” says Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen, a soldier who was killed on October 7 and his body taken hostage to Gaza.
Chen says it’s crucial to “get this to the finish line” given the current geopolitical considerations, including the possibility of war with Hezbollah.
His words are echoed by Orly Gilboa, mother of Daniela Gilboa, one of 16 women still held in captivity and one of the female surveillance soldiers taken hostage, who asks Netanyahu for a meeting with the hostage families.
Gilboa notes that as the hostages reach the nine-month mark of captivity, nine months is usually a time associated with birth and new beginnings.
“I can’t stop the terrible thought that I might be a grandmother soon or might already be,” says Gilboa, referring to the sexual abuse experienced by the women in Hamas captivity.
“I just want a bright future for my daughter,” says Gilboa.
Chen adds that while it’s known that hostages who are dead will be the last to be returned home in any deal, it is crucial to bring those bodies home for a proper burial.
He refers to a thought he shared previously with the other hostage families, referring to the loss of the prime minister’s brother, Yoni Netanyahu, in the raid on Entebbe, which took place on July 4, 1976.
“They had an official funeral and shiva, and after 30 days, a grave and somewhere to go on Memorial Day,” says Chen. “Look me in the eyes and ask me where I was on Memorial Day. I don’t want another Memorial Day like that. Itay was a hero and there is nothing more Jewish or traditional than that his soul will rest in the soil of Israel, so we can cry on it.”
Mor Korngold, the brother of Tal Shoham, still held hostage in Gaza after his wife and children, as well as three other family members, were taken hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, were released at the end of November, said he doesn’t know if he can remain living in Israel, voting in elections, raising a family and building a home if he can’t trust the government to provide security and to bring the hostages home.
“The prime minister says he only wants a partial deal, what, am I only a partial citizen, do I only pay half of my taxes?” asks Korngold. “I can’t live here if we don’t bring our hostages home. Stop dealing with minor details and stand behind this deal.”