Hostage Families Eschew Political Support; Favor Universal Call To Value Life

Families of hostages rallied in Tel Aviv, urging international intervention and stressing human rights over politics, as they await the release of loved ones held by Hamas

To mark 225 days since Hamas kidnapped their loved ones on Oct. 7, hundreds of family members and friends of the hostages prepared to share their testimonies at a special event at Hostage Square near the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Thousands of protestors attended the event, gathering in front of the stage to listen to the speeches.

Among those who spoke were Noam Safir, the granddaughter of Shlomo Mantzur, the oldest hostage in Gaza, and Shay Dickmann, the cousin of Carmel Gat, an occupational therapist taken hostage who is reportedly still alive, helping other hostages in captivity with her. The protest had a bittersweet atmosphere of hope and urgency.

We don’t have time to wait. Every day, we find more bodies of hostages, and we need to bring them all back, both the living and also the dead.

“Today is a call to the international community and to the Israeli war cabinet to free the hostages,” Itzik Horn, the father of Argentinian-Israeli brothers Eitan and Iair Horn, told The Media Line. “We don’t have time to wait. Every day, we find more bodies of hostages, and we need to bring them all back, both the living and also the dead. Unfortunately, we don’t even know who is still alive, but we need to bring them back immediately, and the international community needs to be engaged, including the UN,” he said.

According to Horn, these kidnappings are the most flagrant violation of human rights. “I’m disappointed with the world. I feel [the world thinks] that human rights are worth defending only for some people, but not everyone. All the countries that consider themselves democracies, their heads of state, and their people, need to see this as a matter of human rights violations and demand the release of the hostages,” he added.

Despite believing the hostages should be returned without any preconditions, Horn thinks a deal is the best way to secure their release. “Until today, we only rescued three people alive using brute military force. All other hostages were brought back through dialogue and negotiations, not just the use of force. I don’t know how many hostages are still alive in captivity in Rafah, but I know that if Israel goes in there just by force, then the hostages will be endangered,” Horn asserted.

When asked about mainstream media’s reports of the many Hamas tunnels that exist between Rafah and Egypt, Horn expressed concerns. “We fear that the remaining living hostages might have been taken across the Egyptian border. If that happened, they could be in captivity anywhere. I am deeply disappointed with Egypt, but I can do nothing about that. In theory, they’re also enemies of Hamas, but allowing these tunnels to exist is what is keeping the terrorists supplied,” he concluded.

There are many people around the world who don’t agree with Israel the way it is or its leaders. I’m not asking people to support this government or even the state of Israel. All I’m asking is for them to support the idea of life.

Like Horn, Shay Dickmann, Carmel Gat’s cousin, also views the hostages as an international human rights issue. “There are many people around the world who don’t agree with Israel the way it is or its leaders. I’m not asking people to support this government or even the state of Israel. All I’m asking is for them to support the idea of life. I’m fighting for the life of my cousin and the lives of all the hostages there. Carmel never did anything wrong in her life. She is an accepting, loving person. Carmel even studied Arabic so she could talk to our neighbors. She has nothing to do with war,” said Dickmann.

Gat, who spent her 40th birthday last week in Hamas captivity, was previously reported to be alive by other hostages who had been freed in the only deal exchange deal since the beginning of the war. However, her family has received no news of her since then. “When other hostages were released through negotiations, two hostages came back and told us that they were with Carmel since the first moments, in the same apartment, as hostages of Hamas. They said they suffered violence, but Carmel was helping them. She was their guardian angel — typical Carmel. Taking care of others also makes her stronger, so we hope that she is with other hostages and able to care for them. She is an occupational therapist, and she was using her skills there, keeping a diary to track what day it was and giving yoga lessons to calm their minds and souls,” he explained.

Dickmann added that since the hostage deal happened, “more than 100 days have passed, and we have mounting evidence of the horrible captivity the hostages are enduring. One of the hostages that returned was Amit. She is the age of Carmel, and she shared how she was tortured and violated in captivity. We understand what one more day or night in captivity can cause. Carmel’s mother was murdered on Oct. 7, but her dad is alive, and he is suffering a lot, thinking of what could be happening to her and to more than 128 people who are captive in Gaza,” he said.

Sharing the same desperation for any signs of life is Ayala Harel, the niece of hostage Michel Nisenbaum, a 59-year-old Brazilian-Israel resident of Sderot. She shared with The Media Line that the family had “no information about him since Oct.7, nothing about his health, and the war is still going on.”

“There is no deal in sight, and we’re apprehensive about it. The IDF discovered new tunnels crossing between Rafah and Egypt, and this could mean the hostages are anywhere, but this is a concern we’ve had since day one because we have no idea where he is,” Harel said.

Along with other family members of hostages, Harel believes that “a diplomatic approach is the safest way to bring them back home still alive. I hope that Israel and the whole world put pressure on Hamas and its allies to return our loved ones. We must stop the war, make a deal, and bring everybody back home. Time is running out, and I’m not sure if we’ll have more people to rescue alive because we don’t know their conditions. We need to free them as fast as possible,” she said.

I’m just trying to keep my hopes up, but the reality is that they’re running out of time. Even for someone strong, young, and healthy, staying in captivity and tunnels with no real food, medicine, or hygiene is tough.

Noam Safir, a granddaughter of Shlomo Mantzur, the oldest hostage in Hamas captivity, shared with The Media Line that their endurance and sense of hope have been severely tested. “I’m just trying to keep my hopes up, but the reality is that they’re running out of time. I worried about my grandfather and all the other hostages. Even for someone strong, young, and healthy, staying in captivity and tunnels with no real food, medicine, or hygiene is tough,” Safir told The Media Line.

Safir summarized her point of view and that of many other hostages’ family members: “We need to remind everyone that this isn’t an ‘Israel problem.’ This is a humanitarian problem that everyone should be concerned about. There are 24 different nationalities in Hamas captivity. The hostages don’t have time to wait. They need to return to where they belong with their families. I just want my grandfather here back with me,” she said.