Thousands gathered at Hostages Square Saturday evening, united in their demand for the return of 58 loved ones still held captive by Hamas. The rally came as Israel approaches the unimaginable milestone of 600 days of captivity, following the return of the Israeli delegation from negotiation talks in Doha.
Hamas captivity survivor Naama Levy, released after 477 days in captivity, shared: "In the first weeks of captivity, I was alone — just me and my guards. In constant flight, in mortal fear. Sometimes entire days without food, with little water. On one day, I had nothing left. Not even water."
"What frightened me most were the bombings. First you hear the whistling, praying it won't fall on us. Then the explosions — sounds so intense they paralyze your body, and the earth is shaking. Each time, I was certain it was my end. In one bombing, part of the house I was in collapsed. Fortunately, the wall I was leaning against didn't crumble, and that's what saved my life.
"Even now, at this very moment, there are hostages hearing those same whistles and explosions. They're there, trembling with fear. They have nowhere to run, only to pray and cling to walls with a terrible sense of helplessness."
She added, "I stand here free, but my heart is not whole. Because until the last hostage returns, I — like all my fellow returnees — cannot truly feel that we've come back, cannot truly recover."