On the solemn milestone of 500 days since the horrific events of October 7th, hundreds gathered at Washington Hebrew Congregation for a National Prayer for the Return of All Hostages. This event, held in cooperation with the Jewish Federations, brought together families of the hostages, survivors, and supporters from across the country. Noa Argamani, captivity survivor and girlfriend of hostage Avinatan Or, said: "This deal right now is so important. It brings our loved ones back to us. My partner Avinatan Or is part of the second stage of this deal. We have to continue to the second stage and make sure all our loved ones return to us." Ilana Gritzewsky, captivity survivor and girlfriend of hostage Matan Zangauker, added: "Despite everything I have been through, I am more Zionist today than I have ever been. My mother made aliyah just 4 months ago and we both want our forever home to be Israel. Israel is where I want to build my family, to raise my kids. But in order for me to see my future in Israel, all of the hostages must come back. There is nothing more aligned with being a Zionist than fighting for our people. It is at the core of our Jewish identity. In order for me to heal, in order for all of the released hostages to heal and for the country to start recovering - we need to bring them all home. Now." Related articles: Captivity survivor blasted online after criticizing Netanyahu 'I don't understand why Israel gave up Gaza' 'Egyptian ceasefire proposal is not acceptable' 'We endured hell, every minute is torture for remaining hostages' Gal Dalal, brother of hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal, added: "Guy is a joyful person - funny, kind and very responsible. Guy has the most special relationship with his family; he is best friend for both me and his little sister, and he never lets his parents worry. It's been almost a year and a half since I last saw my brother, and he and the other hostages are running out of time. 76 hostages are still in Gaza and most of them are still alive. My brother is still alive, surviving in these inhuman terms. We have to get him back. We need them all home. NOW." Moshe Emilio Lavi, brother-in-Law of hostage Omri Miran, shared: "For 500 days my nieces have been asking, 'When is Daddy Omri coming home?' and for 500 days we have no answers. After the expected releases of this weekend, we will still have hostages chained, fighting to survive. We need to mobilize the joy and sadness of this weekend to take action. So that I can finally say to my nieces: 'Daddy Omri is coming home.'"
