The families of the hostages held a mass rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv with the slogan, “Choose the hostages,” on Saturday night.
Singer Sagiv Cohen and child star Nati screened a special music video for the song “We Will Turn Every Stone” with the participation of the hostage families.
Additionally, singer Elin Golan performed a rendition of the song “I Have No Place” with eight-month-pregnant Michal Lubanov, the wife of Alex Lubanov, who is still in captivity in Gaza.
Eliyahu Liebman, the father of the hostage Eliakim Liebman and head of the Kiryat Arba council, offered a prayer for the peace of the soldiers and the return of the hostages.
This demonstration came following an announcement that hostage deal negotiations made meaningful progress and that Hamas was willing to be more flexible with its demands.
On the stage, representatives from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, “We support the Israeli delegation in Paris in their mission to return all the hostages – dead and alive.”
The rally included multiple keynote speakers as well.
Major General (Res.) Amiram Levin said, “I appeal from here to the decision makers: this is a historical choice, but only choosing the hostages will allow you to find an appropriate way to settle the score with our murderous enemy with a strong and united society and army behind you.”
Yael Adar, the mother of Tamir Adar, who was murdered in captivity by Hamas and whose body is still being held in Gaza, spoke live from the parallel rally in Jerusalem: “I stand here and shout ‘return them all’ – the living to rehabilitation and the murdered to burial. You must return my murdered son along with all who have been killed and allow us, the devastated families, to rebuild ourselves. We paid the heaviest price – we will no longer get to kiss our loved ones on the forehead.”
“We will never be able to change the past, but we have an opportunity for correction, and that is the return of all the hostages,” she said. “The cabinet and its leader must allow the negotiating team to exhaust every chance for a deal, to continue the discussions at the Paris conference until an agreement is reached – we have no privilege to give up the chances”
Public figures attended the rally in solidarity
Hollywood star Michael Rapaport, who is currently in Tel Aviv, appealed to the rest of the world, saying. “It could have been any of us. You might think this is crazy because you have never been to Israel, or you are not involved in the politics of the Middle East, or for some other reason. So wake up. There is no justification, logic, or context. If you don’t wake up, you make the world more dangerous. You are sending a message that terrorism can be justified.”
Former Prime Minister and leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, also attended the rally in solidarity with the families.
“I have one sentence that stayed with me from the rally. That sentence was, ‘ I come here to be with the family that was born on October 7.’
It’s a sad family, but it does not lose hope. We are here, and our hearts are on the outskirts of Gaza, in negotiations that must not fail in Paris. in an effort that cannot stop for a moment.
In the distance, you can hear the cheers and the righteous shouts that demand elections [at Kaplan], but it’s quiet here. Sad and quiet and busy.
The family is waiting.”
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