Thousands gathered Saturday evening for a rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, as the fate of five fallen hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza remained unresolved: Dror Or, Meny Godard, Ran Gvili, Rintalak Suttisak and Hadar Goldin. The demonstration followed a Hamas announcement earlier in the day claiming that Goldin’s remains had been located in a tunnel in Rafah — a claim Israeli officials believe is credible.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the public to attend the rally to “show decision-makers that the people of Israel leave no one behind.” Attendees were encouraged to bring the symbolic tag of the hostages and break it in a gesture of solidarity with those still in Gaza.
Among the speakers at the Tel Aviv rally were former hostage Nimrod Cohen; Elad Or, brother of Dror Or; Shira Gvili, sister of Ran Gvili; Hemi Goldin, brother of IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin; Tami Baruch, mother of Sahar Baruch; and Bar Godard, daughter of Meny Godard.
Ahead of the speeches, former hostages Gali and Ziv Berman arrived for the first time at Hostages Square and posed next to their own portrait.
Former hostages Gali and Ziv Berman arrived at the Hostage Square
(Video: Paulina Patimer)
Matan Angrest holds a sign calling for the return of Hadar Goldin
(Video: Paulina Patimer)
Simultaneously, a separate rally took place at the Sha’ar HaNegev Junction, where former hostage Omri Miran made his first appearance alongside his wife, Lishi. He was greeted with applause and hugs, including an emotional embrace with Nadav Rudaeff, whose father Lior was laid to rest the previous day.
Former hostage Nimrod Cohen opened his speech at Hostages Square by recalling his abduction. “I was taken from tank No. 3 and held in captivity for 738 days. Today, I am a free man,” he said. “I want to begin by saying thank you — first and foremost to our soldiers, our fighters, my fellow tank crewmen and the heroes who risked their lives, some of whom never returned. Because of you, I am standing here.”
Equally important, he added, was his gratitude to the Israeli public. “When I was in hell in Gaza, we were told that Israel had given up on us,” he said. “But on the day I came home, I realized it was all lies. Already in the car from the border to Re’im, I saw with my own eyes the thousands who were waiting for us with applause.”
Cohen spoke of his fellow crew members who were captured alongside him on October 7 — Shaked Dahan, Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel, and Capt. Omer Neutra.
“There were four of us in the tank,” he said. “Shaked returned first, then me, and this week the last two came back — Oz Daniel and Omer, of blessed memory. They returned for a proper burial, but each of them was a world unto himself.”
He shared memories of his comrades: “Shaked joined our team late but we connected instantly. We loved playing PlayStation together, and he was always there for me in tough moments. Oz was always focused, driven, dedicated, and gave his all. Over time, I got to know his other side — the jokes, the music, the fun.
“Omer and I argued a lot at first when I was new in the unit,” Cohen said. “But it didn’t take long before he became my teacher. He guided me both professionally and in life. He was a role model for me and for many others. I miss them deeply. Rest in peace, my brothers.”
He continued: “My crew came back — but not everyone has. There are still five hostages held by Hamas. I have no doubt Hamas knows exactly where they are and is playing a sick game. Every day that passes is another day one of them could disappear forever. There’s no time. I call on decision-makers: just as I returned, just as my crew returned — everyone must come home. I can’t heal, and this nation can’t heal, while even one hostage remains in Gaza. I will keep fighting until the last one is home.”
Later, another former hostage, Rom Braslavski, spontaneously took the stage. Laughing, he began, “Wow, this is amazing.” He added, “I can’t believe I’m standing in a place I used to see on TV from inside Gaza. It feels really good to be here with you.”
In an emotional speech at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Elad Or, the brother of fallen hostage Dror Or, reflected on the month since the signing of the Trump ceasefire proposal — a period he described as a “rollercoaster of emotions” and the beginning of “recovery, remembrance, and rage.”
“The mission is still not over,” Or said. “I feel pure joy at the return of 20 walking miracles. For each of them, the entire struggle was worth it. I'm sorry it took so long.”
He went on to describe how his brother was “abandoned” on October 7 in the southern community of Be’eri, along with his wife Yonat and their neighbors, in what he called a massive security failure.
“He got Noam and Alma out of the burning house, was murdered himself, and was abandoned again when no forces had yet arrived and his body was taken. He was abandoned again and again over these past two years, as the fighting delayed and complicated his return.”
Or added that Dror should have been celebrating Yonat’s 53rd birthday this week. “They would have gone away for a quiet vacation,” he said. “That will never happen. We will not forget or forgive this government's abandonment. We will continue to demand a truthful investigation and accountability from those responsible. But now, right now, a window of opportunity has opened for some kind of repair. These very days are our chance to bring everyone home. There won’t be another.”
He stressed that even if continued searches are delayed by the devastation in Gaza, or if international cooperation is required, or if more obstacles arise, “there is no other option. Israel must bring them all home.”
Shira Gvili recalled that despite awaiting shoulder surgery on October 7, Ran put on his uniform and went into action.
“No questions, no hesitation, no thought of himself — maybe because he knew exactly who he was: a brave, principled, Zionist, Jewish Israeli,” she said. “That’s why he went — to protect, to save, so his heart could be whole, even if it meant risking his own.”
She described him as a patriot who was proud to wear his police uniform, saying it reflected who he was inside. But to her, he was also her brother — someone she shared motorcycle trips and parties with. “He called me Genetic Defect, and I was Lucifer to him,” she said, recalling their sibling humor. “Simple moments I miss terribly. A bond that cannot be broken.”
“I hoped for that phone call,” she continued. “But Ran is still there. Our hero hasn’t come home yet, and I’m still waiting. At my age, the call I should be waiting for is from a friend who wants to hang out, or from the guy I met at the beach — not the one that tells me the nightmare is over. What kind of world is this, where I’m jealous of families burying their loved ones?”
At Sha’ar HaNegev, former hostages Arbel Yehoud and Sharon Aloni-Cunio also addressed the crowd.
“It’s deeply moving to be here today and see all of you — more determined than ever,” Aloni-Cunio said. “Over the past two years, the people of Israel have shown the true meaning of mutual responsibility. It’s not an empty slogan — it’s a way of life. Every day you fought for me, for Arbel, for David and Ariel, was a day you refused to give up.”
Yehoud added: “In recent weeks, we’ve all witnessed the immense importance of closure. Without it, the soul cannot rest. Unanswered questions prevent a return to life. Our mission has always been and remains not to stop until every last hostage is brought home for a proper burial. That is our duty as a nation to those who were abandoned on that dark day. It is our duty to the families who live in an ongoing hell.”
Aloni-Cunio concluded: “No one is left behind. That’s not a cliche, it’s a promise. Returning every hostage is not just correcting an injustice or an abandonment, it is a healing of our national soul.”
First published: 21:07, 11.08.25