The families of the abductees are waiting for children at home: The prisoner return deal brought back children, girls, mothers and young women. Now dozens of men and several women and children are left behind.
Ohad Munder meets his father for the first time after returning from captivity
As for the women, while some were released in the previous hostage deal, others were left behind and are known to be alive. As for the men, they are a group of abductees between the ages of 19 and 60 whom Hamas refused to release, some of them fathers of children who returned from captivity.
Alongside all the abductees, there are also elderly abductees, some of whom are sick and need medication. The demand of the Family Headquarters and of the abductees who returned from captivity is to return all the abductees without any difference.
In the prisoner deal, special emphasis was placed on women and children. The other families who have a relative who was kidnapped also supported her, and now they are calling for another deal that will release their dearest ones from captivity – they all have family waiting for them at home.
These families gave Israel Hayom a glimpse into the childhood photos of the abductees, pictures taken when the worries were simpler and not as fateful as now, pictures taken when the children were with their parents as nature intended and before Hamas terrorists came and plucked the abductees from their beds, from the kibbutzim, or from the party they wanted to celebrate.
Bar Kuperstein: "An adult child who takes responsibility"
"Bar is a kid like all kids, loves parties, music, ATVs. At the same time, because of the complex life story he went through, while accompanying his father who was injured in an accident, he is very mature and knows how to take responsibility. He has a lot of power, but I hope he has the strength to endure everything he goes through there, because the abductees are going through hell there."
Bar Kuperstein as a child. "Very mature and knows how to take responsibility", photo: courtesy of the family
So says Ora Rubinstein, the uncle of 21-year-old Bar Kuperstein from Holon, who has been kidnapped in Gaza for more than two months.
Bar was a security guard at a party in bad guys (Nova). According to testimonies in the family's possession, he could have saved himself, but chose to provide aid to the wounded and help some of the participants escape. He was caught and taken prisoner by the terrorists, who even released a video of him.
Bar is the eldest of 5 siblings. After his father Tal was seriously injured in an accident and became a nursing caregiver, Bar became a central figure in the home, in addition to his volunteering at the Friends Association.
"When I saw that abductees had been released and he was staying in Gaza, it hurts. On the one hand, I'm very happy that abductees were released, because you can't leave children there, on the other hand, Bar is also a child. A child of his parents, and also like the child of his grandparents who raised him - everyone goes crazy with worry, it's very difficult," Ora shares.
Bar Kuperstein. "The greatest hope is that there will be another round of release of hostages, and they will return home," photo: courtesy of the family
"For the past three and a half years, Bar has lived with his grandparents, my parents, so that the house would have room for a caregiver for his father. They are grown men, and he is like their child. Taking care of them for everything they need.
"On the morning of October 7, he called my mother to tell her that when they finished evacuating everyone, he would come home – and he hasn't come since. Our greatest hope is that there will be another round of release of hostages, and they will return home – that's what's left."
Carmel Gat: "The Point of Light for Others"
"Carmel's father, who survived the massacre, is still waiting for her, he is the last person to see her here in Israeli territory taken away by the terrorists. We are all somebody's children, everyone deserves the right to live," says Gil Dickman, a cousin of Carmel Gat, 39, who was abducted from her parents' home in Kibbutz Be'eri.
Carmel as a child, with Gil Dickman. "The father, who survived the massacre, is still waiting for her," photo: courtesy of the family
Carmel, an occupational therapy student, returned from a three-month trip to India, just days before Black Saturday. On that terrible day of October 7, her mother Kinneret was murdered and she was kidnapped. Her brother Alon, sister-in-law Yarden and their daughter Geffen were also kidnapped, but Alon and Yarden managed to escape, while Yarden was kidnapped but released in the last hostage deal.
Dickman returns to his childhood on the kibbutz, where he used to visit his cousins: "Carmel is Grandpa's first and most beloved granddaughter. You can see it already in the picture, even when Carmel was a child she took care of us maternally, she loves children very much."
"She is a girl who grew up in Bari but left it relatively early, she is an independent person and her personal freedom is very important to her. For three months she was in India, a place she loves very much, went back to visit her parents and planned to move on to the next stop - she had to start a year of studies at the Hebrew University."
The family received a sign of life from Carmel through various released prisoners who returned from Hamas captivity. According to the testimonies of the returnees, Carmel gave them yoga and meditation classes in captivity in order to calm them down and ease their souls.
Carmel Gat, before she was kidnapped to Gaza. "A bright spot for others", photo: courtesy of the family
Gil says: "We know that her physical health is normal, those who were held captive with her reported that she took care of the children, kept them recorded what day every day and did not lose touch with reality, gave them guided imagery, meditation and yoga - this is Carmel, loves to take care of others, see their needs, is a point of light for others."
"If they had asked Carmel, she would have said, 'Get the children out first,' but once the children have left, we want to see another release of abductees. More weeks of war endanger the hostages, both because of the injuries and because Hamas' hands are hitting the abductees in every possible way - we know about war crimes that are taking place there now, and every minute wipes out the soul."
Avinatan Or: "They trust him to be strong"
Avinatan Or, 30, from Tel Aviv, was kidnapped together with his partner Noa Argmani from the party in Re'im (Nova). He is the second of seven siblings, and together with his parents they are waiting for him at home.
Avinatan (left) with his brother Chaim Yitzhak. "A child who should be free", photo: courtesy of the family
"Avinatan is my older brother, but for the whole family and certainly for my parents, he is a child who needs to be free, to be at home," says Galia Dekel, 22, his sister. "When they divided the abductees we had a hard time with it, but at the same time, when the children were released we were very happy, we are happy for everyone who is returning home."
Avinatan grew up in Shiloh, successfully completed a degree in electrical and computer engineering at Ben-Gurion University, and used to volunteer during his studies.
"Avinatan is a very funny guy, he was always very tall and now that he's training he's sturdy, you can see in his kidnapping video how six terrorists hold him to get him under control," his sister says with a smile.
"He was tall as a child, and there's a very funny picture that we talk about a lot. It's a picture from his bar mitzvah with two friends and they barely reach his shoulders. He's a sociable guy, a person you love, a loyal friend. He also graduated with an engineering degree, is smart, handsome, and has a good heart. I'm very objective – he's a perfect man."
As mentioned, Avinatan was abducted together with his wife Noa Argmani, who was filmed abducted to Gaza on a motorcycle by terrorists. Some family members had met Noa in the past, and since that Shabbat the families have met. Galia has a message for her brother and readers.
Avinatan Or. "They trust him to be strong," photo: courtesy of the family
"We are strong and we trust him to be strong, we firmly believe that he will come back and we are waiting for him. For everyone reading this, it's important to me that they don't forget my brother and think good thoughts. The situation is frightening, but it is important to be optimistic. We also heard from people who were in captivity that they felt the kind thoughts they were sent and that gave them a lot of strength."
"We want to see Hamas pressured – militarily, politically and economically – until they release all the hostages in a military operation or Hamas will be in distress and agree to a deal on our terms, all without endangering the soldiers and the other abductees. The most we want is to hug Avinatan."
Karina Ariev: "The Cute Girl - in Gaza"
"When I look at this picture, I don't understand how we got to this point. A cute and peaceful girl with two ponytails will find herself a few years ahead in Gaza. It's not a movie, it's not a dream, it's an ongoing nightmare," says Sasha Ariev, 24, the older sister of Karina Ariev from Jerusalem, who was abducted in Gaza.
Karina Ariev as a child. "The lovely girl found herself in Gaza", photo: courtesy of the family
"At the same time, it gives hope and we are doing everything so that she will return home."
Karina was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz: "That Saturday morning she called me at 6:30 in the morning, told me that she had entered the protected area with friends and told me that there were missiles."
"Slowly as the minutes passed, she told me that there were terrorists in the area, and then on the phone you could actually hear their voices, the shooting, and that's how we talk on the phone and she says goodbye to me, telling me that she loves me, that I will continue to live, to look after our parents, and that's where the conversation ended."
Sasha adds: "She may be over 18, but she is an innocent and gentle child. My little sister is one of those who is very worried all the time, very worried about her family and parents. For her, family and friends are the number one priority."
"Karina is a child in every respect, we hoped that she would also be released in the first deal, but it didn't happen because the deal was stopped. There are still women left, young girls who must be brought home as well as the other abductees."
Karina Ariev. "We must get her back from there as soon as possible," photo: courtesy of the family
"The more we see the fighting going on, the more we are afraid. Karina is creative and talented, loves to draw, sing, dance and wants to develop in the world of beauty. She loves helping people and has a dream of studying psychology and sociology. She has the ability to hear people, to listen to them, to be a supportive shoulder."
According to her, her sister was kidnapped wounded: "We know that Karina is injured and we fear for her health, we must bring her back from there as soon as possible - together with all the women and all the men - the next deals must be made as soon as possible and it is important to me that the whole nation remains united."
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