The families of hostages Nimrod Cohen, Omri Miran and Elkana Bohbot met Wednesday with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and participated in an event organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in collaboration with the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL), with support from the German government.
The meeting followed a report presented Tuesday at the Human Rights Council in Geneva by Dr. Alice Edwards, the UN special rapporteur on torture. The report determined that the families of hostages should be recognized as victims of torture due to the abduction of their loved ones and the continued lack of information about their fate.
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Families of the hostages meet with United Nations Human Rights Council
(Photo: World Jewish Congress)
"Even after 515 days, neither my daughters nor I can fully process what happened that day," said Yishai Lavi Miran, wife of Omri Miran. "The consequences of that day are immense, both now and for the future, but we are still trapped in that moment. We are still hostages because Omri has not been returned to us."
She described the painful questions her young daughters ask daily: "Why is Daddy still in Gaza?"; "When will Daddy Omri come home from Gaza?"; "Mom, have you brought Daddy back from Gaza?"; "My daughters live in constant uncertainty about the person they love most—their father. Their separation anxiety is felt every single moment," she added.
She also highlighted the ongoing plight of other fathers still held in captivity. "Four fathers remain alive in Hamas captivity: Omri, David, Elkana and Maxim. Eleven other fathers were killed and are still being held by Hamas, preventing their children from finding closure," she said.
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"When we talk about children's rights, I want you to think of Roni and Alma—their fundamental right to live in safety was stolen from them on October 7. Their basic right to freedom was taken away. But above all, their right to live with their parents was ripped from them that day.
"We always promise our children that we will do everything to build them a better world. I need you to send a clear, unequivocal message: Omri must be freed for Roni and Alma. I ask you to raise your voices, to truly consider my daughters' best interests, their basic rights, and to help us bring Omri and all the fathers back home."
Rivka Bohbot, wife of Elkanah, reinforced the urgent call for action: "Now, more than ever, based on testimonies from released hostages and the report by Alice Edwards, we know that the hostages are enduring severe torture. This is not speculation — it is a horrific truth.
"Israeli men are being tortured daily: shackled for months, completely isolated, suffering from starvation. They are imprisoned in brutal conditions, deprived of their most basic rights, reduced to mere shadows of themselves — living corpses struggling to survive. Anyone with a conscience, anyone who believes in justice and humanity, must ask themselves: How can we, as a global society, allow this to continue?"
Bohbot stressed the violations of international law: "The international conventions are clear — every child has the right to life, to proper development, to love, and to family. The forced separation of children from their parents is not just an emotional disaster—it is a moral and legal crime.
"Every day that passes without these children hearing their father's voice, feeling his touch, or receiving his embrace inflicts irreversible damage. And if there is one thing we cannot accept, it is indifference. We must not become numb to this. We must not stop calling for help. Because every moment the world remains silent, every day the international community fails to do everything in its power to bring the hostages home—the world fails, over and over again."
She concluded with a vow to her children: "And to you, our beloved children, I promise: We will not be silent. We will fight so that you can live in a world where your father is beside you, holding you, stroking your hair, telling you bedtime stories. A world where you will no longer have to ask, 'Where is Daddy?'—because he will be here, with you, exactly where he belongs."