Among the Israeli hostages in Gaza, some are still lost, while others are being released. With the ceasefire agreement now in effect, Hamas has begun releasing hostages who were kidnapped over 15 months ago. The first to be freed are women, the elderly, and children, as outlined in the agreement. However, a devastating blow to the families and all of Israel came in the last few hours: not all of the 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the agreement – which lasts 42 days – are still alive. Some, likely 8, have died, and only their bodies will be returned. Hamas officially informed Israel, confirming intelligence reports. Meanwhile, there is still uncertainty about the fate of the other hostages not included in this first group. It’s estimated that 63 more hostages remain, most of them men. Their families must brace themselves with patience and hope: their release will depend on a second phase of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with all the risks involved. However, there is one key factor that helps them stay strong: unity. “We are like one big family, and this gives us strength and energy, wherever we are,” says Naama Miran, the sister of Omri, who was kidnapped by Hamas and has been trapped in Gaza since October 7.
The Family of Families
In the weeks, then months, and now over a year following the massacre in southern Israel, the Hostage Families Forum has become a key point of reference on many levels: communication, to appropriately channel the stories of the kidnapped and the anxieties of their families to the media worldwide; politics, to apply pressure for the hostages’ release in all decision-making bodies around the globe, from European ministries to the U.S. Congress, from the Vatican to the United Nations. And also, in the streets of Israel, where protests have been held every Saturday evening since then. Yet, for the families themselves, the primary role of the Forum is something else: to build a community, a space under which everyone can gather, understand one another, and support each other.
“We now share the same language, the same style; we understand each other instantly: words aren’t even needed,” says Naama, who has participated in the street protests as well as in “diplomatic missions” abroad (from the Pope to the UN). That’s why, now that hostages are (re)emerging from Gaza, there is no room for guilt, jealousy, or division. “Every person who comes back is an absolute joy. When the first three girls were released, I thought I was dreaming. ‘Are they really here?’ I kept asking myself. I wanted to go hug them, even though I don’t know them,” recalls Naama from her home in Natanya, north of Tel Aviv.
The Forum’s messaging fully reflects this philosophy. On social media or in meetings with both Israeli and foreign political decision-makers, the message is simple and unrelenting: “Free them all, until the last hostage.” “This is Israel – when things get tough, we come together and support each other. Since October 7, it has been incredible,” Naama adds.
Omri Miran’s October 7th
This, of course, does not mean that each family doesn’t hold on to absolute and unyielding hope for their own loved one. “Of course, I would love to hug Omri, but I can’t do that, I can’t hug a photo or a poster.” Miran, 47 years old at the time of his abduction, was taken by Hamas militants on October 7th after a morning of pure chaos and horror in Nahal Oz, the kibbutz where he worked as a gardener and Shiatsu therapist. At one point, a couple of hours after the assault began, Omri himself thought the worst was over. Locked in the safe room of his house with his wife Lishay and their two young daughters, Roni and Alma, he sent a message to his relatives: “Everything is ok.” They no longer heard the sounds of the militants or the gunshots, so they thought the danger had passed. However, they returned shortly after, using a village boy as an “internal hostage” to force the residents to open the doors of their safe rooms. In the end, Omri was taken away by the terrorists, who had just murdered a neighbor in front of her family, but for some unfathomable reason, they didn’t take, nor harm, Omri’s wife and daughters.
The Hamas Video, the Darkness, and Hope
The family – Naama has two other brothers and a father who, since then, has done nothing but focus on the case and the family that survived the massacre – had no news of Omri until April 27, 2024, when Omri appeared in a Hamas propaganda video with another hostage, Keith Seigel. “He was emaciated, exhausted, his eyes lacked light, as my father said. But he was alive and clear-headed: it was a great relief,” Naama recalls. Since then – exactly 8 months ago – it’s been back to darkness. No information, not even a hint, about his condition, who is holding him, how, or where.
However, a piece of news has leaked regarding his awareness of what’s happening outside his prison. “One of the women released by Hamas in recent months told us that Omri found out that Lishay and the girls were safe and doing well. This was a huge relief for us.” They hope for his return, and he knows he has someone to come back to, as soon as possible. “On October 7th, Roni was three years old and spent a lot of time with Omri. She often asks about him. Alma was just 6 months old and doesn’t know what a father is.” Alma will turn two on March 31. Naama and her family have marked that date in red: now they hope he will return by that day. In the meantime, there are a thousand obstacles. “These are difficult days for us; our hearts are shattered. But we want them all back, until the last. We won’t find peace until then.”
This article was originally published in Italian by Open, on January 27, 2025.
Cover photo: On the eve of the 7 October commemorations in Israel, a rally was held in Paris on Sunday to pay tribute to the victims of the Hamas terrorist attacks a year ago. One person is holding a sign that reads “Kidnapped, Omri Miran”, in Paris, the 6 october 2024.
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