Held Hostage for 500 Days

After the relief of another 3 hostages being released on Saturday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum called for a day of fasting on Monday 17th February, which marks 500 days of Hamas captivity for the remaining 73 hostages.

"This day of fasting is nothing compared to the suffering they are experiencing there,
but this is a day of identification and a demonstration of solidarity that strengthens the kidnapped
and gives voice to the cry of those whose voices are not heard."

In response to that call, a 500-minute fast began this morning and will continue until 8 pm in Israel, when the Forum plans to hold an ‘emergency gathering’ at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.

They have called for the return of their loved ones, and at 7am also began a march towards the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) in Jerusalem.

Edan Alexander is a 21-year-old who is still held in captivity by terrorists and is not included in the list of 33 to be released in Phase One of the ceasefire agreement. As part of today’s events, an uncle of his led a prayer for the return of the hostages in front of the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem.

Another aspect of the suffering in Israel is that the residents of 13 communities in southern Israel have not been able to return to their homes for 500 days. The local government says that these communities, which include kibbutzim Be’eri, Kfar Aza, Nahal Oz and Nir Oz, are uninhabitable because their infrastructure was so badly damaged.

In this video posted by the hostages’ families, survivor Ohad Ben Ami, who was released from the hospital recently, spoke about the feelings among the hostages who are still in Gaza, and how the nation’s support keeps their hope alive.