8:10 a.m. ET, November 25, 2023
“The fight still isn’t over”: Family of male Israeli hostages make fresh plea for their release
Relatives of male Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas insisted Saturday that the “fight still isn’t over,” making another push for their loved ones to be released.
As part of the truce brokered between Israel and Hamas, only Israeli women and child hostages have been given the go-ahead to be released. During a virtual press conference held Saturday, the children and parents of male hostages drew attention to the plight of their relatives who are still being held in Gaza.
“We have a big struggle ahead of us, even though we did get some hope yesterday by the release of 13 people from our communities and 11 more people that are foreign citizens that would gain relief. The fight still isn’t over,” Nadav Rudaeff said.
He added that they “know nothing besides the fact that we know he was hurt” in the Hamas attack on Israel that day, when about 1,200 people were killed and about 240 people taken hostage.
Noam Peri, whose 79-year-old father Chaim was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz, said the family had recently received a sign of life.
Peri said the family had gained a sense of “hope” from people in their community released Friday who said her father is still alive. Chaim’s wife Channa, 79, was among those set free on Friday.
“It feels very urgent to let them all out. We don’t know how much time they’re going to be able to hold on there,” Noam Peri stressed.
Rudy Chen, whose son Itai, 19, is still being held hostage described the experience as “something beyond pain.”
“I don’t know how many of you have kids, but it’s hard to describe the feeling of not knowing if your kid is alive or not. It’s something beyond pain. I don’t think it exists in your vocabulary.”
Itai Chen had been stationed at an Israel Defense Forces base near the Israel-Gaza border, not far from Nahal Oz, as part of his work protecting kibbutzim, according to his father.
“My ask, my demand, we unfortunately have not been given a sign of life,” Chen said, insisting that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) should be given access to hostages that “were kidnapped against their will.”
