TEL AVIV, Israel — Israelis observed the first anniversary on Saturday of the recovery of hostages from a Gaza Strip tunnel, who had been executed by Hamas militants.
Approximately 100,000 Israelis, according to organizers, convened in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to commemorate the victims, as relatives urged the government to negotiate the return of their family members. A large flag, emblazoned with a call for President Trump to “Make History,” was revealed.
The killings deeply saddened Israel. The identified hostages were Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
“How does one encapsulate what they wish their only son to be remembered for? He was a gift, a blessing, an adept listener, humorous, respectful, and a curious global citizen,” Hersh’s parents, Jon Polin and , conveyed to Digital.
“He will forever remain 23. While not flawless, as most parents ideally perceive their children, he was unequivocally the perfect son for us. We feel privileged to have had Hersh in our lives, wishing only that his time with us had been extended. Rest peacefully, sweet boy.”
This anniversary coincides with , sparking an intense discussion regarding potential risks to the remaining hostages, considering the fate of the “Beautiful Six.”
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum cautioned that an agreement for the hostages’ release remains stagnant while IDF operations progress, labeling this situation “a distressing reminder of last year’s lesson: military pressure results in hostage deaths.
“This ordeal must conclude! Our loved ones have suffered immensely for 694 days, and as a nation, we have become disoriented. Increased military pressure abandons the surviving hostages to their destiny and ensures the remains of those already deceased stay interred within Gaza’s debris.”
The IDF declared on Friday that it had retrieved the bodies of two hostages who were held by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
According to Israeli assessments, 48 captives are still in the Strip, with 20 believed to be alive.
These developments occur as has maintained that only a full ceasefire, one that guarantees the return of all hostages and concludes the conflict on Israel’s conditions, would be taken into account.
“A majority of families desire the immediate return of all hostages,” stated Tzvika Mor, father of hostage Eitan Mor and co-founder of the Tikva Forum, an organization that supports a complete agreement conditional on Hamas’s elimination.
“This is where our views diverge,” Mor conveyed to Digital. “The Tikva Forum holds that Hamas must be vanquished and compelled to surrender to Israel, whereas other families contend that Israel should concede to Hamas to secure the hostages’ release.”
Mor cited the 1976 Entebbe rescue operation as an illustration, observing that despite the uncertain outcome then, Israelis largely felt the nation was obligated to defend its citizens instead of yielding to terrorists. He contended that while military intervention involves hazards, the considerably larger peril would be permitting Hamas to impose conditions post-Oct. 7.
On Monday, indicated that the conflict might conclude within a few weeks. Forty-eight hours later, he presided over a meeting at the White House concerning a detailed post-war strategy for Gaza.
U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, informed on Tuesday that the Trump administration supports Jerusalem’s stance against a partial agreement.
“For the past six or seven weeks, an agreement has been available that could have freed 10 out of the 20 hostages believed to be alive; Hamas deliberately delayed this process. Now, Hamas is claiming acceptance of that deal, and I believe their change of heart largely stems from the intense pressure being applied by the Israelis,” Witkoff explained to Bret Baier on ‘ “Special Report.”
Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid informed Digital that his Yesh Atid party advocates for “a comprehensive and complete agreement that would encompass the return of all hostages and a cessation of hostilities.
“Should such a deal prove unattainable,” he added, “then Israel ought to accept the partial agreement already reached, which would afford us the opportunity to pursue a full resolution.”
Netanyahu conveyed to visiting , on Monday, that the choice to broaden the military campaign was “unambiguous.”