This evening (Tuesday), hundreds gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv for the event “Singing Together for Their Return.”
Emunah Or, sister of Avinatan, who is held captive in Gaza, said at the gathering: “For almost two years now, Avinatan’s absence has been crying out from so many places – his picture lies everywhere, telling who was here, who is still being waited for. Amid all this, over the past year, I was blessed to meet Mordechai – to meet, to fall in love, and, thank God, two weeks ago – to get married.
Avinatan, you have a home here, you have a place. While we are fighting with all our strength to bring you back – we are maintaining our home, continuing to be together, to love, to bring more life, joy, and light into it. So that wherever you are, you will feel this place, know that it is waiting for you – that we are waiting for you.”
Iris Haim, mother of Yotam Haim, who was killed in Gaza by friendly fire, spoke of the importance of bringing the hostages home while preserving national unity.
“I am here to remind the world that we are witnessing the results of hatred towards the Jewish people before our very eyes. We saw this hatred on October 7th, in the massacre of small children, in the cruel abductions, and in the murder of hostages in captivity. They ran out of air in the tunnels. Each one still there, holding on, is a hero who wants to return – who must return. My family and I ran this terrible race for 70 days. For us, the story ended when Yotam was killed by our own forces, together with Alon and Samer. Yotam survived 65 days underground with little food and little air.
From this stage I call on the people of Israel – continue to love, learn to respect opinions, and not to judge. Our only strength is in showing the nations of the world our resilience, our love, and not division. Those who murdered on October 7th, who are responsible for the massacre and for the hostages still in the tunnels, are Hamas – together with world powers who cooperate with the rising antisemitism. Our true enemy is beyond the border,” Haim emphasized.
Tal Abitbol, widow of the late Eliav Abitbol who fell in battle in southern Lebanon, also stressed the importance of unity:
“Our hostages have not yet returned. All our hearts are with them, and this heart must beat in unity – without camps, without division. Eliav believed in this! Eliav did not just speak of unity – he lived it. And so, when he went out to battle, he went with a sense of mission for the entire nation, everyone in his heart. Today I stand here and ask, in his name – that we choose to see one another, that we return to being one people. Not only against enemies, but also with each other in our daily lives. Our hearts remain broken and Eliav’s heart has fallen silent, but his legacy – the uniting of hearts across an entire nation – will continue to beat forever.”