Crowds gathered with menorahs to light the eighth Hanukkah candle at Hostages Square to call for the return of Ran Gvili, the last remaining deceased hostage in Hamas captivity.
Ran's mother, Talik, stated: “Hamas is deceiving us. Hamas is deceiving the State of Israel. Hamas is deceiving the United States as well. And we need you to help explain to everyone, to the whole world, one clear thing: We will not give up until Rani comes home. We cannot move on. We cannot let anyone rebuild their lives and move forward at Rani’s expense. We are one people, and we owe this to ourselves. We owe it to Rani, who did everything to protect all of us. Rani is my son, but he is also the son of you all.”
Shelly Shem Tov, mother of captivity survivor Omer Shem Tov, recounted: “On October 9th, I met a hostage family for the first time, a family whose loved one had been held captive even before October 7th. The Goldin family. We sat, we talked, we got to know each other. And the first thing said to us there was: 'First of all, welcome.' For me, it was like an arrow through the heart. Because you say 'welcome' to someone you’re happy to see. And then it hit me. Where were we? Where had we been all these years?
"Nine and a half years. Nine and a half years that the Goldin family has been living this reality. But since then, two years have passed. And today, here we are. After 254 hostages have returned home. And today, one more hostage still needs to come home. The difference between that day, October 9th, and today is that we are here together. And we will continue to be here together. We will not give up, we will not disappear, and we will not be silent until we merit, God willing, soon, to see Rani Gvili return home, to the soil of the Land of Israel.”
Ayelet Samerano, mother of Yonatan Samerano z”l added: “We must do everything to bring Rani home to the family that’s waiting for him, just as we all waited. This square will be here until Rani comes home. And each and every one of you - remember and make sure that as many people as possible continue to come here, continue to be here, and continue to embrace Rani’s family. Because we cannot leave him alone. We cannot forget. And we must remind everyone, again and again, that there is still one hostage in Gaza who must return home to his family.”
Lee Siegel, brother of captivity survivor Keith Siegel noted: “Rani must come home. Without Rani being home for a proper burial, it’s as if my brother Keith still isn’t home. It runs that deep, and it’s such a powerful feeling. We say Am Yisrael Chai, the people of Israel live. The people of Israel live when Israel lives, when Rani returns home for a proper burial. We’re not finished, and I’ll repeat this a hundred times if I have to repeat it a hundred times: We are not finished until Rani Gvili is home for a proper burial. His family deserves this.”