Hostage relatives desperate for loved ones’ returnpublished at 16:35 British Summer Time 19 May
Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem
Image source, Supplied by familyNimrod Cohen’s father is calling for the Israeli government to secure a permanent ceasefire and hostage deal
The Israeli military said on Sunday “the only thing
that will stop [the military operation in Gaza] is returning the hostages home”. There are 58 hostages
in Gaza, up to 23 of whom are believed to be alive.
The Hostage Families Forum, the main group representing
relatives of those held captive in Gaza, has called on the Israeli government to reach a deal to secure the
hostages’ return.
I’ve been speaking in recent days to relatives of some of
those still held in Gaza, who are desperate to be reunited with their loved
ones.
“Every day, we live in uncertainty – anger, fear, exhaustion
– and also camaraderie with other hostage families, and a sense of purpose and
mission,” said Emilio Lavi, whose brother-in-law Omri Miran was kidnapped by
Hamas gunmen on 7 October 2023 from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
“We’ve fought, spoken out, travelled, advocated – just to
keep Omri’s name alive, to stop the world from forgetting, and to push for a
viable hostage deal. “
Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod, an Israeli soldier, was
kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October 2023, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
to “go for a permanent ceasefire and a hostage deal”.
“We are worried about [Nimrod], and we want it to end,” he
said.
As we have been reporting, Israel launched “extensive ground operations” in Gaza over the weekend, as part of what it calls Operation Gideon’s Chariot.
