Watch: Thousands pray for the hostages at the Western Wall

Thousands gather at the Western Wall for Selichot service, praying for the safe return of hostages and offering support to their families and to captivity survivors.

תפילה לשלום החטופים במהלך הסליחות בכותל המערביהקרן למורשת הכותל המערבי

Tens of thousands gathered on Saturday night for the central Selichot prayer service at the Western Wall Plaza.

The event was held in the presence of survivors of Hamas captivity, alongside families of hostages still being held in Gaza.

During the service, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, offered heartfelt prayers for the swift return of the hostages, for the rehabilitation of the survivors, for proper Jewish burials for the fallen, for the protection of IDF soldiers and security forces serving on multiple fronts, for the recovery of the wounded, and for the peace and security of Israel.

Among those in attendance were Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Minister for the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Yitzhak Wasserlauf, MK Ohad Tal (Religious Zionist Party), and Tzachi Braverman, who is slated to serve as Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.