An estimated 100,000 people gathered Saturday night at Tel Aviv’s Kidnapped Square to mark the 50 days since more than 240 people were kidnapped into Gaza. Located at the headquarters of the Hostage and Missing Family Forum, the heartbeat of the nation was stronger than ever right in the center of Tel Aviv.
Following Friday evening’s hostage release rally and with the backdrop of the possibility of the remaining hostage releases being delayed, Saturday night’s crowd carried on with the same gusto and national pride.
Though the rally was slated for an 8pm start, thousands showed up in the hours leading up to the event. By 7pm, thousands had already filled the square and the streets.
“Now! Now!” presenters and attendees shouted in unison.
The crowd in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and behind the Defense Ministry was filled with “Bring Them Home” merchandise in both Hebrew and English, creating a sea of black, red, and white shirts and silver dog tags. Others donned more homemade shirts, stating “Nahal Oz is my home,” along with the names of other kibbutzim.
Speakers and performers, such as Ehud Banai performed heartfelt anthems dedicated to the hostages, their families, and the state of Israel. There was a sense of hope that presented itself through the tears of those in the crowd.
“Even if the 50 in this [hostage release deal] are released, there will still be 180 people who are waiting, whose families are waiting,” one speaker said. Children with connections to hostages were brought onto the stage to call for their loved ones to come home.
Bring them home: Now!
Among the guest speakers were journalist Sivan Cohen Saban, who emphasized the resilience of the families of the hostages in addition to her appreciation for their support for one another.
“If we could put a new definition, or the face of the definition of noble, it would be the faces of the families of hostages,” she told the crowd. Look at how they show up for each other.”
Alon Adar, grandson of 85-year-old released hostage Yaffa Adar, told the crowd that not only was he thrilled to have his grandmother back, but that she wanted to be at Saturday night’s rally. “She was told to not come, but she is watching from afar and is proud of me and proud of all of us for doing this,” he said.
Leaders of Israel’s Druze community also spoke out against the atrocities committed by Hamas against all people of Israel. “We all have the same God, and God will help us and is watching out for us all,” one spiritual leader said.
Leaders of Israel’s Druze community also spoke out against the atrocities committed by Hamas against all people of Israel. “We all have the same god, and god will help us and is watching out for us all,” one spiritual leader said.
The parents of Omer Neutra flew in from their home in New York in support of their son, a soldier who has been missing in action since the October 7.Addressing the crowd in both Hebrew and English, the missing soldier’s mother recalled to the public that she was 9 months pregnant during the September 11th attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center.Neutra told that crowd that as she crossed the Brooklyn Bridge on that morning, she felt as if the world had been flipped upside down. “That same exact feeling returned on October 7. Bring him home, bring them all home,” she said.