Women leaders demand release of female hostages ahead of International Women’s Day

Former Supreme Court president Dorit Beinisch, actor Gila Almagor, activists, writers and entertainers among those to film video calling for hostages’ freedom

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

Former Supreme Court president Dorit Beinisch, right, with picture of murdered captive Maya Goren in video for International Women's Day, March 8, 2024 (Screen capture: YouTube, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Former Supreme Court president Dorit Beinisch, right, with picture of murdered captive Maya Goren in video for International Women's Day, March 8, 2024 (Screen capture: YouTube, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, several leading Israeli women appear in a video, demanding that the 19 women held captive by Hamas be released.

Former Supreme Court president Dorit Beinisch, award-winning actor Gila Almagor and other figures including academics, journalists, activists and entertainers appear in the campaign, released Monday, calling to bring the hostages home.

“This year, there are only 19 reasons to celebrate International Women’s Day: Naama, Judy, Noa, Romi, Arbel, Carmel, Maya, Eden, Inbar, Doron, Liri, Daniela, Shiri, Shani, Karina, Amit, Agam, Ofra, Emily,” stated the women, listing the names of the 19 female hostages currently held captive by Hamas since October 7.

“If they don’t return, we’re not equal,” they said.

Fourteen of those 19 women named are still presumed to be alive, while five women are known to have been killed in captivity.

The five women whose bodies are still being held in Gaza are Judy Weinstein-Haggai, 70, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, who was killed on October 7 and her body taken by terrorists to Gaza;  Ofra Keidar, 70, from Kibbutz Be’eri; Maya Goren, 56, from Nir Oz; Shani Louk, 22, who was dragged lifeless from the Supernova rave through the streets of Gaza; and Inbar Heiman, 27, was also taken hostage from the Supernova festival and later murdered in Gaza, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

The other 14 women, Naama Levy, Noa Argamani, Romi Gonen, Arbel Yehud, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Doron Steinbrecher, Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, Shiri Bibas, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger and Emily Damari, are presumed to still be alive.

“As long as they are not here, we have nothing to celebrate,” state the women in the video. “All the achievements, all the successes of all of us — are meaningless when there are 19 women, like us, in the captivity of Hamas.”

The campaign, created by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, was directed and written by Ariel Margalit.

Hamas took 253 hostages captive on October 7 when thousands of terrrorists stormed across the border, killing some 1,200 people, most of them civilians in their homes or at the music festival.

It is believed that 130 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Three hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 11 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military.

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