I watch the footage and videos coming out of Gaza and worry deeply for my friends who remain held by Hamas. We must bring them home. We must bring them back to life. Time is critical — and they don’t have much time left.
When I returned from captivity, I had only 3.5% body fat left. I was told that if I had stayed another two or three weeks, I wouldn’t have survived. From the footage we’ve seen, it’s possible that Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski are in a similar state — which is why negotiations must speed up if we are to save them.
Video released by Hamas of Evyatar David
It’s unbearable to see the suffering of my friends. I may have been released, but I am not free. I won’t be free until the last hostage is brought home.
It’s hard to look at these images and not be angry. We are in the 21st century — how is it that the Red Cross still can’t visit our hostages or check on their condition? Why are they not allowed to see the conditions they’re being held in or even determine who among them is still alive? The Red Cross has the means, authority and capacity. It knows how to provide aid — food, medical supplies — to the Palestinian side.
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So why can’t it reach the 50 hostages rotting in the tunnels? Why does no one know their condition, and why is no one helping them? Why doesn’t the world care? Why isn’t there a determined international demand to reach them?
Standing in the Hostage Square last night, Evyatar's brother spoke out. So did families of the hostages, who met with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff yesterday at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Tel Aviv.
Ohad Ben AmiI can’t look at my friends suffering and remain still. I can’t sit, talk or move on. I’m out of captivity — but I am not free. And I won’t be until they all come home.
The author, Ohad Ben Ami, was held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip for 491 days. As of today, 667 days since October 7, 49 men and one woman remain in captivity. Israeli estimates suggest at least 20 are still alive and could be rescued. In May, Jerusalem confirmed grave concerns for the lives of two additional hostages — Tamir Nimrodi and Bipin Joshi.
Nearly two years after the attack, the families of 30 fallen hostages whose bodies remain in Gaza continue to demand their loved ones be returned for proper burial in Israel. The families are calling for a comprehensive deal and an end to the policy of partial agreements.