Hanan Ben Ari at the rally of the families of the abductees | Credit: Headquarters of the Families of the Abductees
Thousands arrived at the abductees' rally Saturday evening, 85 days since their loved ones were abducted to Gaza. The families of the abductees held a rally marking unity with Israel and clearly demanded from the War Cabinet: presenting an orderly plan for the return of all the abductees home instead of an outline that would release only some of the abductees.Gali Atari, Yuval Dayan and singer Hanan Ben Ari performed the song "Blind Bat" in memory of the late Shaul Greenglick, an officer in Battalion 931 who fell on Tuesday in Gaza and sang the song at an audition for the program "The Next Star."
Hanan Ben Ari at the rally of the families of the abductees this evening, photo: Coco
Moran Stella Yanai, who was released after 54 days in Hamas captivity, said: "When I was kidnapped, they took away everything: control of my life, freedom, name, identity. Anyone who has been there knows. We are now the voice of the abductees still in Gaza. They still have to speak in whispers, but we have to shout. In Gaza there are another 129 women and men, children young and old, civilians and soldiers, religious and secular, rightists and leftists, Arabs and Jews. They don't have time."
She added: "I have no way of explaining the intensity of hope that arises from a few hours of quiet and the depths of disappointment when the shelling returns and you realize that there is no ceasefire. The thought that was most frightening in Gaza was to be forgotten. That you will get used to the fact that we are in Gaza, that you will give up on us. You didn't give up on me and now that I'm with you, together, we won't go back to normal. Can't be forgotten. The most humane thing you can do is unite all of us to bring everyone back."
Nissan, Ofer Calderon's brother, said at the rally: "I miss him. To his laughter, his eternal smile and his energy. His children have returned from the terrible inferno and they need him here with them so that they can rehabilitate and become a family again. The lives of Ofer and the other abductees are in immediate danger. They are without food, water or medical care. He's injured and who knows what will happen to him there. I call on members of the cabinet and the government to work for the return of all abductees now. Don't forget them, don't sacrifice them. They are citizens of the State of Israel and you must return them all. Don't wait for the conditions to ripen – create the conditions to bring them back now. As survivors of the massacre, we want to return to our lives quietly and take care of our souls. It won't happen without the return of the hostages whose time is running out."
Rotem Calderon, Ofer Calderon's son, said: My father is an amazing and loving person. Father of four children who can't sleep at night without him. He was brutally taken from us on October 7 along with my two younger brothers. We have no time to waste. Every critical moment and every moment we can lose them. They must be returned now. As we approach the start of the new year, I have only one wish – to celebrate it together with Dad."
Ilan Dellal, father of Guy Gilboa, who was kidnapped in Gaza, read a letter to his son: "My beloved son Guy, a few months ago you were kidnapped by my son Awla. The longing for you is unbearable. You are inside the tunnels without seeing the light of day. Tired and afraid to smile. We need you to be strong. Don't let human scum break your spirit. We will never give up on you, and we will do everything to bring you home. Love you endlessly our boy. All the abductees must return home as soon as possible."
Dennis Ross, a special adviser to the National Security Council and a former U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, said imams, leaders of the Muslim world, should be addressed: they should be told that kidnapping people is not part of Islamic values. Hamas is not part of Islamic values. It is important to reach out to leaders who supported the Palestinians and make it clear to them that Hamas harms Palestinian interests. Qatar cannot only be an emissary, it must exert pressure on Hamas. Don't just negotiate. Hamas must understand that if it does not listen to Qatar, it is endangering relations with it. Your voice needs to be heard and it represents the conscience of Israel and the conscience of the world. The world must intervene and be involved in releasing the hostages now."
Julia Hart, the businesswoman and Netflix star, spoke about her campaign in Israel: "We will not remain silent in the face of these horrors. I've never been prouder to be Jewish, I've never been prouder to support Israel. My heart is with the families of the abductees who need to return home now."
Aviram Shaul, brother of soldier Oron Shaul, whose body was kidnapped in Gaza, said: My brother Oron always put the other before him, so his connection with Golani felt natural and deep. We quickly found ourselves at an honors ceremony at the President's House full of pride. It is written about him that despite domestic difficulties, he chose to serve as a fighter and carry out his duties with dedication and thoroughness. Oron hasn't been with us for 10 years and we don't know what happened to him. For years we waged a polite and restrained struggle, all behind the scenes, assuming that this path would lead us to our goal. We chose the wrong path. Don't let them fool you either, only pressure and public struggle will bring the abductees home. The fact that we didn't have the strength to bring Oron back, because we didn't have the public support that we have here. We must not take our foot off the gas until victory. We will not agree to ignore the abducted soldiers, neither living nor dead, who are at the bottom of the list of priorities. Keep supporting us and demanding what we deserve. Bring the hostages home now."
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