A year on, Netanyahu has failed families of Israeli hostages

Families of hostages held by Hamas a year after the October 7 assault accuse Prime Minister Netanyahu of undermining efforts to secure their release.

A small group of families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza gathered just a few hundred meters from Netanyahu’s residence in downtown Jerusalem on Monday.

There are about 100 hostages that remain in captivity in Gaza, about a third of them are feared dead.

“A whole year in which time has stopped. I’m still on the same day,” said Shai Wenkert, whose son Omer was abducted from the rave near the Gaza border.

During the gathering, attendees stood in silence for two minutes, mirroring a solemn tradition observed during Holocaust Remembrance and Memorial Day.

Shiri Albag, whose daughter Liri is among the captives, spoke passionately to the crowd. “We are here to remind the hostages that we haven’t forgotten them,” Albag stated.

Albag's message to Netanyahu was clear: “We won’t let you rest until all of them are back, every last one of them.”

The families held posters displaying the faces of their loved ones, emphasising their plight.

A representative for the families announced tragic news during the event.

Idan Shtivi, a 28-year-old captured during the Nova music festival, was reported dead. Initial hopes that he was alive were dashed when Israeli media confirmed he was killed during the attack.

In a sombre show of remembrance, flags at the Knesset were lowered to half-staff.

The anger at the government’s failure to prevent the attack and enduring frustration over the failure on securing the release of hostages, led to a separate gathering in Tel Aviv, which initially aimed to attract tens of thousands of participants.

However, the event was significantly scaled back due to security concerns regarding potential missile attacks from Iran and Hezbollah.

Hamas' assault resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and took around 250 individuals into Gaza as captives.

In response, Israel has claimed more than 41,000 Palestinians and caused widespread displacement among the 2.3 million residents in Gaza by relentlessly attacking the enclave.

Humanitarian conditions have deteriorated, leading to significant hunger and suffering as US-led ceasefire efforts struggle to gain traction.

Last month, a senior Hamas officials blamed Israel’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire for the latest deaths.

Hamas proposed releasing the hostages in exchange for ending the war, withdrawing Israeli forces, and freeing Palestinian prisoners, including key fighters.

The Hostage Families Forum urged Netanyahu to explain the delays in securing an agreement, claiming that the hostages, after enduring nearly 11 months of captivity, were killed due to the stalled deal.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant urged the government to reconsider its decision to keep forces in the Philadelphi Corridor, which was hindering ceasefire talks.

"The Cabinet must gather immediately and reverse the decision made on Thursday," Gallant said in a statement.

"We must bring back the hostages that are still being held by Hamas."