Posted on 12/21/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
Crowds gathered Saturday night at Hostages Square for the weekly families' rally, under the banner, "A complete nation requires everyone - together!"
Families of released hostages and those whose bodies have been returned to Israel opened the rally with a message of support to all the families, stressing, "We stand with you until the last hostage returns!"
During the rally, the families emphasized their clear and unequivocal demand for a deal that would guarantee the return of every last hostage.
Hen Avigdori, whose wife Sharon and daughter Noam were released from Hamas captivity, said: "The release of hostages isn't just about freeing a hundred people from terrible captivity by human monsters - it's the liberation of us all - it's all of us emerging from darkness to light, from division to unity, from dwelling on past grievances to building a shared future. The Prime Minister said that 'the time is ripe' for a deal, so I want to remind everyone: If you have a ripe fruit and you don't seize the opportunity — if you dawdle, drag your feet, and waste time — that ripe fruit will rot."
Inbar Goldstein, whose sister-in-law Chen and nieces Agam, Gal, and Tal Goldstein-Almog were released from Hamas captivity, added: "My family was fortunate to close this chapter, to receive our loved ones back in our arms, to mourn together and begin rebuilding from the ruins of our home in Kfar Aza. My story had an ending, a closure, and this is what needs to happen, what's right and just, for all hostage families."
Noam Peri, daughter of the late Chaim Peri, noted: "My father was taken alive, he survived with incredible mental strength in captivity, and he could have been saved and brought home through a deal. For us and for 26 other families whose loved ones entered Gaza alive and returned in black bags, the cost of missing an opportunity for a deal is very tangible. Very personal. Very painful."
Riki Baruch, sister-in-law of the late Uriel Baruch, whose body is held captive, recounted: "We sat shiva, we mourned, but we have no peace because we have no grave to visit and no end to this nightmare. We must continue fighting so that Uriel's young children will have a place to cry for him and so we can find peace for our wounded souls. We hear there are negotiations for a deal. A deal we've waited too long for. We want our loved ones home and we cannot allow a situation where hostages are left behind because we didn't properly utilize the moment for a deal."