"I arrived in the midst of the war. My family was held captive for 50 days in the hands of Hamas, and apart from that, my cousin was killed, his in-laws were killed, and the houses of the family were burned to the ground.”
Even though five of her six kidnapped relatives were returned from Hamas’s captivity late last month, Dr. Pazit Ziv, a Leeds University academic with dual Israeli and British citizenship, is still grappling with an unimaginable family tragedy resulting from a brutal attack by the terrorist organization on October 7. This horrific incident led to the murder of three of her relatives and the abduction of six others, with one remaining captive despite efforts to secure their release.
In the midst of despair, a lifeline emerged. The Jewish community in London rallied behind Ziv, sponsoring her travels to Israel. She touched down days before the hostage exchange. The reunion with her family was a torrent of emotions, a mix of "absolute happiness, exhilaration to see them, to touch them, to be with them."
Yet, as joy and relief flooded their hearts, the family now faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. The scars left by the traumatic events continue to affect each family member differently. These are "very, very early days to understand how they're going to be able to fathom together what lies ahead," she reflected, noting that the family cannot truly initiate any healing process and recovery before all hostages are brought back home.
Details being kept confidential
Ziv added that many details surrounding the returned hostages' recovery are being kept confidential for security and privacy reasons, but she noted the extraordinary community response she has witnessed. "I can call it the Israeli spirit. There is no individual in Israel who is indifferent to what's happening now. Everybody is helping. Everybody is helping others as enablers of other people helping. It is absolutely a sociological phenomenon."
She elaborated on the outpouring of support, sharing a glimpse of the resilience that defines the Israeli spirit. "The respect for people's help and people being held to one another is outstanding. I mean, there's loads of clothes and towels and socks and hygienic products, and obviously, food that is being sent there.
"Communities are surrounded by this generosity; everybody contributes," she said. "Even those who have no time off from work are contributing. Families, once separated, are now reunited, and people are navigating through this unprecedented situation.
“It is an unbelievable support. Everybody's now active as one from all walks of life," she marveled. Ziv called attention to one particular cause on the fundraising site charidy.com supporting the Hartman-Haran family [Hartman Family (charidy.com)].
As the world's attention shifts to new headlines, Ziv issued a plea for global recognition of the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the pressing need for the release of hostages held by Hamas.
“As days go by, the media is moving on to other stories; the stories of people who are still being held by a terror organization are going down in popularity, and we must bring it back up, again and again,” she said.
“Reuniting with these people after 50 days of captivity: they’re different. You can see immediately that they've lost weight, that they were tortured; and every 10 minutes that passes is another 10 minutes that people are there with Hamas.”