"So close and yet so far": This was the painful cry heard from families of hostages at a special rally held Sunday morning on a hill in Nir Oz, facing the Gaza Strip, marking 562 days since their 59 loved ones were kidnapped and taken into Gaza. The demonstration followed a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night that the terrorist organization Hamas had rejected Israel's latest proposal for a hostage deal, insisting on an end to the war - an ultimatum Israel has refused.
Sylvia Cunio stood at the border fence with a megaphone and shouted to her sons: "We are here. I am here. I'm shouting so that you will hear me. We will not give up on you. I love you. I'm waiting for you. We are all waiting for you. The entire nation is waiting. You are so close and yet so far. I am waiting for your warm hug and to make you coffee, like always. I want you to stay strong."
"Nimrod, my beloved boy. It's Mom," said Vicky Cohen. "If you can hear me, I want to tell you how much I love you. We miss you terribly. We're waiting for you - your room is waiting, your friends, your family. We won't give up on you. Come back already. We will bring you home."
Nimrod's father, Yehuda Cohen, called out: "We're not giving up. We're fighting to reach every possible place. But you're 40 meters underground, there's no way you can hear us. So I'm directing my words at the one responsible for you still being there: the criminal defendant who funds Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu. He insists on continuing this war at the expense of the hostages and at the cost of soldiers' blood just to cling to power. That's the only thing he cares about. We heard his spokesperson say it's not possible to free all the hostages. Netanyahu, resign. You've failed. Netanyahu, you're responsible for strengthening Hamas. You funded Hamas. You've dragged out this war for a year and a half just to survive politically. You are responsible for my son's suffering."
Ilana Gritzewsky, a former hostage and partner of Matan Zangauker, also spoke. "Matan, can you hear me? I'm alive, and I'm with you. I fight day and night and I won't give up. I know what you're going through because I was there too. But you are strong. You come with me everywhere. I hear your name and your voice everywhere, but it's not enough. I need your hug beside me."
Also present were Yehuda Cohen, father of Nimrod Cohen, and Varda Ben Baruch, grandmother of Edan Alexander. Other families in attendance included those of Omri Miran, Bar Kupershtein, inbar Heyman, Itay Chen, and Elkana Bohbot.
