On the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists abducted our loved ones and 245 others. Carmel was visiting her parents at Kibbutz Be’eri. Almog, Alexander, Eden, Hersh, and Ori were celebrating peace and freedom at the Nova Music Festival. These six individuals were taken to Gaza, several with critical injuries. They endured harsh conditions for 328 days before being fatally shot on Aug. 29.
Israeli forces found their emaciated remains in a tunnel buried under a Gazan child’s bedroom. The tunnel was extremely narrow and lacked oxygen, light, and basic sanitation. Their Hamas captors executed our loved ones at close range, left the tunnel, and sealed the entrance.
Alexander, a tall man, lost significant weight during captivity. Hersh and Eden were also severely emaciated.
Hamas is directly responsible for the abduction, torture, and murder of our loved ones. However, many others failed to intervene and save them. Israeli decision-makers had opportunities to negotiate settlements but chose not to. While these choices will have lasting consequences, countless others could have done more to save our loved ones. Those who remain passive will become complicit in future tragedies if they allow malicious forces to prevail over the inaction of those in power.
We urge immediate action: 101 hostages are still suffering in Gaza, and time is running out. Empty words will not spare them the same fate as Almog, Alexander, Carmel, Eden, Hersh, and Ori. Decisive action is needed now.
For 328 days, we met with politicians, diplomats, business leaders, celebrities, and others with power. They made promises, expressed sympathy, and offered support. Many were present at meetings with religious leaders, ambassadors, former presidents, and first ladies. Leaders of major companies pledged their support until our loved ones returned home alive. We participated in meetings in Davos, Washington, Moscow, London, Sofia, Budapest, and Geneva.
Celebrities met with us discreetly but requested anonymity for fear of losing followers. Humanitarian aid organizations, including the International Red Cross and the World Health Organization, expressed a desire to intervene but claimed inability. Muslim clerics assured us, wrongly, that our loved ones would be safe because harming hostages violated Islamic principles. However, they, along with many other religious leaders, remained publicly silent. Numerous individuals in power assured us that the hostages would survive and their return was imminent. Some acknowledged their suffering but believed they would not die.
Two hundred fifty-one hostages from 39 countries were abducted on Oct. 7. Why did the presidents, prime ministers, and foreign ministers of those nations never stand together and demand their release? Why are the names of the 101 remaining hostages not widely reported? Where is the global outcry for their release? Why isn’t there condemnation from religious leaders of all faiths involved? Where is the economic and diplomatic pressure on Hamas and its supporters? Why are NATO member countries and U.S. non-NATO allies still operating with favored status despite failing to save lives, including American citizens? Why has the United States, the world’s most powerful nation, not effectively used its leverage to secure the hostages’ release and bring an end to the conflict?
Global actors are watching, learning, and planning. The implications for global security extend beyond Israel and Gaza. Humanity’s future is at stake. It’s time to use the power you have to do better.
Almog, Alexander, Carmel, Eden, Hersh, and Ori are gone. In their memory, we urge you: Take action now to bring home their 101 brothers and sisters still in Gaza. As Rabbi Hillel famously said in ancient Jewish law, “If not now, WHEN?”
