As every Saturday, tens of thousands of people gathered for a rally to support the hostages and their families.
Sharon Aloni-Cunio, who was released from captivity after 52 days, shared with the crowd, "It is impossible to describe the feeling of helplessness and dread of a mother who looks straight into the barrel of a rifle while holding one child and wondering where her other daughter is.”
“It is impossible to describe the moment when my daughter Emma was snatched from hugging, caring arms at gunpoint, and the moments when we cried over her death and the moment she was returned to us after ten long, endless days. David, my husband, has already been in captivity for 78 days. Not 52 days, but 78! When every hour is an eternity! Every day is infinity!" she added.
Major-General (Res.) Eli Marom, former Commander of the Israeli Navy, said, in a message to cabinet members, "The mission of eliminating Hamas is very important for future generations. But there is an even more important and urgent mission - bringing all the hostages home immediately!”
“Every day in Gaza is a day with the danger that some of them will return, God forbid, in coffins. We must not hesitate. No matter what the price is. Leadership needs to make tough decisions and take risks. There is no condition that we as a state cannot withstand. I call on the Government of Israel: Put an offer on the table that Hamas will not be able to refuse," added Marom.
Orin Gantz, whose daughter Eden Zecharya was murdered in Hamas captivity, stated, "Are you cold? It’s colder in captivity. On October 7th our Eden was taken captive and murdered by Hamas. From there she returned home to a place where no one can hurt her and no one wants to hurt her. To a place without hatred, jealousy, fanaticism, and a bloody competition over who is stronger.”
“On her way to a freedom and love festival - they stood before you Eden, thirsty for blood and hatred. Their sole purpose was to destroy our soul and then without any mercy they shot you with a volley of bullets, you who I raised for 27 years.”
“For me and for Eden it’s too late but there are still hostages who are alive who need to come home. I want to thank our soldiers who do everything to bring them home and brought my daughter back to me. I appeal to the war cabinet - do everything to bring them home now. We are a strong nation, we are a nation that rose from the Holocaust, I ask the cabinet to find a solution to bring back the hostages immediately. We all rely on you to do it," Gantz stated.
Scooter Braun, one of the top music producers in the world, said, "I had to come because I had to stand by my people. When I got here I found a nation of lions, filled with hope, courage and kindness, that let me know that the hostages will come home and they need to come home now.”
“My grandmother was a survivor of Auschwitz, she used to tell us that for everyone she lost, she believed that's why she got a beautiful life on the other side. The terrorists made a very big mistake. They thought that by the acts of October 7th they would break the spirit of the Jewish people. They made a very big mistake, they not only woke the Jewish people of Israel, we are now one people around the world. We stand with you. We will scream from the top of our lungs - Am Yisrael Chai. Bring the hostages home now."
Israeli actress Noa Tishby said, "I am proud to be here and support your families who are all our families. I stand here so that the world does not forget the 129 hostages held by Hamas. These hostages were kidnapped by a murderous terrorist organization that uses them for psychological warfare."
Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh was kidnapped to Gaza, said at the rally, "My son was kidnapped from the Nova Festival and his hand was cut off. I am a mother who wants her son to live, I want grandchildren from my son and for them to be safe here. We hear a lot of words from the men who make the decisions, but the hostages don't have time for talk.”
“I think to myself: what if one of the hostages was the father, mother, sister, brother, daughter, son or spouse of one of the men in one of those rooms where decisions are made? Would they deal with it differently? When Hersh kissed me goodbye at 11pm on October 6th, he said five words to me: 'I love you, see you tomorrow'. Hersh, if you can hear me now, after 78 days, I want to see you tomorrow. I love you my sweet son, stay strong and survive."
Or Levi, 12-year-old activist leading the global youth campaign against the Red Cross, spoke as well and said, "For the diabetic hostages who need life-saving treatment immediately. There are currently 9 such hostages in Hamas captivity. Every minute that passes in captivity without medical treatment is a life-threatening danger. We demand that the Red Cross intervene immediately. Why doesn't the blood of Israelis matter? We expect, as citizens of the free world, for the Red Cross to apply pressure and do your job and fight for every hostage to be examined.”
“Members of the war cabinet - do not provide humanitarian aid until our hostages receive treatment. We are done playing on their field. Hamas receives humanitarian aid while our hostages die in captivity. See what world we live in, a 12-year-old girl fighting for my brothers and sisters held captive by a Nazi terrorist organization instead of celebrating her Bat Mitzvah."