Families of Israeli hostages and survivors of captivity held a central rally Saturday evening in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, the first since the recent release of all living hostages. The gathering came as the Hamas announced it would return two more deceased hostages.
In a statement, the families said: "The agreement to bring the hostages home is now being blatantly violated. Our struggle is not over. Eighteen hostages are still in Hamas captivity. Our moral, ethical, and national obligation is to bring them all home, every last one. Their return is a prerequisite for true Israeli recovery and rebuilding."
Photo: Paulina Patimer
They continued: "It is our responsibility, the people of Israel, to ensure the full implementation of the deal. Its violation must be met with a firm response by the government and the mediators. We cannot let history repeat itself. A nation that abandons its fallen, abandons its future."
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan Zangauker survived Hamas captivity, opened her remarks with gratitude: "Matan, our Matan, is home. Right now he is sitting in the living room watching you, the people of Israel, with a heart full of thanks." She thanked the public for the determination and faith that "brought her son back," but stressed: "Our struggle is not over, it will end only when every hostage is returned and laid to rest with dignity."
Zangauker sharply criticized the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom she held responsible for "the October 7 disaster and the ongoing failure to bring the hostages back." She added: "They are responsible for children being kidnapped from their beds, for soldiers falling again and again in the same places, and for a nightmare that has continued for two years." She called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry and demanded that those responsible "step down and be held accountable."
Orna Neutra, mother of Capt. Omer Neutra, spoke of her son as "a dedicated fighter" raised on the values of mutual responsibility, love of the land, and loyalty to the state. She described the battle in which Omer was critically wounded and said he saved his comrades' lives before being taken to Gaza, where he died from his wounds a week before his 22nd birthday. The family has been waiting for more than two years to bring him home for burial.
She urged the Israeli government and the public to continue fighting for all hostages and fallen Israelis: "A grave for our loved ones is not a right, it is the moral duty of the state." She criticized those trying to erase the hostages from public consciousness and concluded: "We will not rest, we will not be silent until the last hostage is returned. A nation that remembers its living hostages, a nation that brings back its living hostages, the people of Israel live."
Ayelet Goldin, who has fought for 11 years to bring back her brother Hadar, said: "The deal brought 20 miracles, but 18 hostages are currently being abandoned." She warned against the emerging narrative that "everything possible was done." Goldin criticized past agreements and policy decisions that she believes fostered abandonment, citing previous cases as warnings: "The script is already being written."
She called on the public and Israeli citizens not to accept the "we did everything" narrative, and to uphold values and symbols. This, she said, is "the last and hardest battle of all." She stressed that Hadar is still a hostage, that 18 hostages remain in captivity, and issued a clear call: do not fall asleep at the watch, keep fighting until everyone is brought home.
