The family of abducted hostage Uriel Baruch was informed by the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday that their intelligence shows he was murdered and his body is being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Baruch, 35, who was married and a father of two, was abducted from the Nova music festival during the Hamas massacre on October 7.
“Uriel was a happy and loved man, he was loved by everyone around him,” his family said in a statement released by the Tikva Forum, an advocacy group for hostage families.
There are still 134 Israeli hostages that have been held by Hamas for 172 days since the massacre. Some are confirmed to have died and their bodies are being held by the terror group.
Baruch's family, along with many other families of hostages being held in Gaza, took part on Thursday in a global event to recite the fundamental Shema Yisrael prayer together.
The global event was broadcast live from the Western Wall plaza on the Fast of Esther. The "Global Hour of Jewish Unity" event culminated in the prayer, calling for the return of the hostages.
Idan, Uriel's brother explained then that the prayer was an extremely important event for him and his family.
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Idan Baruch praying for the release of his brother Uriel held hostage in Gaza
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky )
"There is no more powerful verse for a Jew than 'Shema Yisrael' ('Hear O' Israel'). It's time to make a spiritual adjustment. We're fed up, enough, we're on our last nerve and we'll be gasping for air to survive for another day. We want to hug our loved ones, that this will be behind us," he said.
The family of hostages protested in Tel Aviv to demand the government bring about their release. They blocked a main city thoroughfare, some sitting inside cages to demonstrate the plight of the hostages.
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Family members of hostages sit in a cage during a protest in Tel Aviv on Tuesday
(Photo: Meir Turgeman)
The government earlier called back the delegation to hostage negotiations in Qatar, after Hamas rejected a proposed hostage release deal in exchange for a cease-fire and repeated earlier demands for an end to the war, before any more hostages would be freed.