Released hostage Raz Ben Ami, wife of hostage Ohad Ben Ami, spoke Saturday night at a rally in support of the hostages still in Gaza.
Speaking at the rally, Ben Ami said, "Our beloved Ohad, 'Let my distant voice be heard / Let my voice be heard wherever you are / A voice calling out loudly, a voice crying in my blood / And above time commanding a blessing.'"
"I am Raz Ben Ami and after 54 endless days in Hamas captivity - I want to say thank you for me returning, thank you for me standing here this evening, and thank you to the people of Israel who have embraced and supported in an exceptional way since I returned.
"I stand here before you, because I returned from captivity. My body returned from captivity, but my soul remained there in Gaza.
"I cannot return to a life without my dear husband Ohad, and the father of our daughters. I cannot come to terms with the idea that my Ohad and another 133 hostages were left behind, in the terrible suffering of Gaza."
She stressed, "I returned, but I do not sleep at night, with the knowledge that Ohad is still in Gaza. My strength is fading, there is no rest for the soul, and no rest for the body."
"I was there. Believe me. They have no time, no air and no light, and I know that if something manages to keep them there, it is the hope - that our people, the people with the biggest and most loving heart, a people full of life, a people who will do everything to bring back their brothers and sisters here and now, as soon as possible, all of them!
"I know, because that same hope sustained me in the most difficult moments there, in a place that seemed full of darkness trying to take over hope."
Turning to the citizens of Israel, she said, "It is a great privilege to live in a country that sees human life as a supreme value, and works with all its might to save its loved ones."
"Redeeming captives is not only a Jewish commandment, but a sublime human value. An expression of mutual responsibility, love of man, and compassion. This is who we have always been, this is how we will remain, and we do not intend to give up!
"Prime Minister, do not change the face of Israeli society, the society you have led for years and know inside out, the Israeli society you are a part of shaping. The last stop of the responsibility bus for the lives of Israeli citizens is your desk. They will not hold out there, no one can survive what they are going through there. Believe me!!! An entire country is calling on you to save us, to choose us, the citizens of the country you lead. Bring them home - the living and those who are not alive.
"Prime Minister, on behalf of the hostage men and women, on behalf of the people of Israel, give the negotiators in Qatar the order: 'Do not return without a deal.' Bring them all home, because it is no longer possible, I am on the brink of optimism that is dwindling, and I believe that is how all the families and the people feel, so bring them all, here and now! Give the negotiations team a wide mandate and tell them, don't come home without a deal, bring back our loved ones!"