Released hostages staged a huge rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, in front of the Defense Ministry, featuring speeches by former hostages who, along with their families, have urgently requested a meeting with the war cabinet, to push for the release of all remaining hostages.
Hadas Calderon, whose children Sahar, 16, and Erez, 12, were recently released from captivity, expressed mixed emotions: “I am overwhelmed with joy and sadness. A miracle happened to me, and I pray the same for everyone else. I’m deeply moved to be here today, knowing that my beloved Ereziko and Saharki are safe at home. Their return has brought light and immense hope into my life. My very own superheroes have endured and made it back.”
Calderon further described her children’s experience: “They likened it [captivity] to the Fortnite war game, a game that transformed into a shocking reality: something beyond our wildest imaginations. Their first words to me were, ‘Mom, you’re alive, we didn’t realize you were alive.’ The harrowing uncertainty of who is alive or dead, and when this nightmare will end, haunts every hostage, leaving them in darkness and helplessness.
“Their testimonies are heart-wrenching and terrifying, marking an unprecedented journey through hell. It’s an ordeal no child, man, woman, - [any] person - should ever endure.”
Elena Trupanov, freed from captivity in Gaza with her 73-year-old mother Irena Tati, shared her relief and determination: “I am Sasha Trupanov’s mother, and I stand here grateful and moved. Your support has been crucial; without it, I wouldn’t be here. We must now focus on bringing back my Sasha and everyone else.”
Also present at the rally was Yifat Zailer, cousin of Shiri Bibas, who was kidnapped with her young children, Ariel and Kfir, and her husband Yarden. The Bibas family has become one of the symbols of this war.
Zailer conveyed a powerful message from the Bibas family: ‘We refuse to be broken by this ordeal,” she said, countering Hamas’s claim that Shiri and her children were killed. “These past two months have been a roller-coaster of emotions, particularly the last two weeks. My nine-month-old son, born two months after Kfir, deserves to grow up with his cousin. Please, remember us and them. Continue to believe in the good; don’t let anything pull you down. They will return home; everyone will return home.”
The hostages’ headquarters announced their demand for an immediate meeting with the war cabinet: “With the ceasefire ended and combat resumed, it’s crucial to keep the captives’ families informed. The clear and immediate danger to the lives of the captives leaves no room for doubt.
“Every day could be their last; we cannot abandon them,” the families of the captives urged. “We are deeply concerned for the well-being of everyone still there. We call upon the prime minister and the war cabinet to meet with us tonight and provide a road map for bringing everyone back home today,” they implored.
Simultaneous anti-Netanyahu protests
Also on Saturday evening, a protest was staged outside of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Caesarea, calling on him to resign.
ההפגנה המוקדמת מול ה- #אשם @netanyahu בקיסריהקרדיט: אפרת ספרןוב-19:30: הפגנה נוספת בכיכר בראלי בקיסריה. #הדחה_עכשיו pic.twitter.com/xprrSVjOIT
— Nava Rozolyo נאווה רוזוליו♀️ (@rozolyo) December 2, 2023
Social media reports highlighted a similar protest in Haifa calling on the “bloody government” to step down.
וגם בחיפה קוראים לממשלת הדמים: תתפטרו!ול- #אשם @netanyahu: #הדחה_עכשיו קרדיט: @haifaprotest pic.twitter.com/Jgm7whoZ7W
— Nava Rozolyo נאווה רוזוליו♀️ (@rozolyo) December 2, 2023