The Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Sunday held a live virtual conversation with Gil Dickmann, cousin of Carmel Gat, who was kidnapped from Be’eri on October 7.
One year ago, Carmel was murdered by her captors along with five other hostages: Ori Danino, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Eden Yerushalmi, when IDF soldiers were approaching.
Sunday’s conversation, hosted by journalist Tal Schneider, covered Carmel’s character and life before October 7th; what is known about her time in captivity and the circumstances around her death; and the family’s continued fight to bring all of the hostages home.
“Carmel loved traveling and meeting new people, she was open to every kind of person. She was a therapist and had an energy in her to feel the person in front of her and what they needed. It’s such a loss to think about such a free bird being locked in a dark tunnel without sunlight or music, and without her family who she loved so much,” said Dickmann.
He warned, “We look back on the days before Carmel’s death - we were aware of the risk to the hostages. We actually said: If you take the IDF into the city of Rafah, you will not only endanger the innocent citizens of Rafah, you will put the lives of the hostages - who we know are there - in danger. Netanyahu decided to do it anyway, even though there was a deal on the table. Carmel, Eden, Hersh and Almog were all on the list for hostages who were supposed to come out in that deal. When the IDF forces got close to where they were held, their captors executed them and ran away.”
On the loss of hostages during the war, Dickmann said, “42 hostages were taken alive into captivity and were killed due to the war in the months after October 7th. So many incidents tell us that you can’t protect the lives of hostages while carrying out a war.”
“I feel the security cabinet, who met this evening, is disconnected from Israeli society. We went to the streets last week and two weeks ago. What the people of Israel want is an end to the war and to bring the hostages home. That’s the right thing to do,” claimed Dickmann.
He also commented on former US President Joe Biden’s efforts to free hostages and on President Donald Trump’s role since taking office.
“President Biden did an amazing job. He made the November 2023 deal possible. We have so much to thank him for. On the 8th day, his deal collapsed a few hours before Carmel was supposed to be released,” said Dickmann.
“I believe that if Trump would have been president then, maybe Carmel would be alive today. Trump now has the power to push not only Israel, but also Hamas, also Qatar into a deal that will end this war and get the hostages out. Trump is the strongest man on earth: if he decides something is going to happen I believe it will happen. Trump can bring not only more deals, but the ultimate deal. I think the guy who wrote ‘the art of the deal is exactly the guy to put the ultimate deal on the table to end the war and bring all the hostages out,” he added.