How families of hostages and thousands of volunteers came together to bring them home

On the greeting of Oct. 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists stormed crossed the borderline into confederate Israel. They went into communities, into service bases, into a euphony festival. They murdered. They raped. They massacred. They burned families live successful their homes. They kidnapped women, men, the aged and children, dragging 251 radical into Gaza. 

It was the biggest catastrophe to befall the Jewish radical since the Holocaust. But it wasn't conscionable an Israeli disaster. People from implicit 20 countries were among the dormant and abducted.

And little than 24 hours later, the families of those hostages, who themselves were surviving an unimaginable nightmare, did something. They didn't hold for instructions oregon for authorities officials. They came unneurotic and established the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a citizen-based enactment with 1 goal: bring each hostage home, careless of religion, contention oregon gender. From time one, its extremity was besides to unopen its doors arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. We thought it would instrumentality a mates of months. It took 843 days.

The families of the 4 released hostages reunite with their daughters connected Jan. 25, 2025.  (IDF Spokesman' Unit)

In the days that followed, radical from each walks of Israeli nine and astir the satellite came to help. That's what truthful galore did. They conscionable tried to find ways of helping. That's however I recovered myself walking into a gathering successful cardinal Tel Aviv and joining the planetary media team. Thousands of others did the aforesaid crossed the forum: diplomats, erstwhile ambassadors, doctors, lawyers, media professionals and academics. People who couldn't beryllium idly by.

During the archetypal months, we took overseas journalists to the destroyed kibbutzim and the Nova festival site. Family members whose loved ones were held captive walked the journalists done the wreckage of their homes. Through what was erstwhile their paradise and turned into hell. 

We besides flew hundreds of household members to The Hague, wherever they called for the ICC to enactment against Hamas leaders who were liable for this. These weren't nonrecreational advocates. These were mean radical thrust into an bonzer fearfulness who refused to beryllium silent. And that was conscionable 1 section of a far-reaching effort that spanned dozens of countries.

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Israeli service soldiers hunt the remains of a torched conveyance for forensic grounds astatine the tract of the Oct. 7 onslaught connected the Supernova godforsaken euphony Festival by Palestinian terrorists adjacent Kibbutz Reim successful the Negev godforsaken successful confederate Israel connected October 13, 2023.  ((Photo by Jack Guez /AFP via Getty Images))

We knew aboriginal connected that the planetary quality rhythm moves fast. Crises slice from headlines. That was our biggest fear, that the satellite would determination connected portion hostages were inactive underground successful Gaza. So we fought, each azygous day, to support the satellite talking astir them. The families were the ones who made that possible. 

For much than 2 years, enduring the biggest nightmare possible, they got retired of furniture each greeting and became diplomats, speakers, fighters. They spoke to each quality outlet, each satellite leader, each elected authoritative who would listen. They retold their communicative of calamity again and again. For some, those who survived the massacre themselves, that meant reliving it each clip they sat successful beforehand of a camera. Some already knew they were warring to bring their loved ones location for burial. For much than 2 years, each of them kept going.

And erstwhile the hostages began to travel home, they, contempt surviving months of hell, didn't retreat. Alongside families who inactive had loved ones successful captivity, they traveled the world, gathering presidents, premier ministers, and congressmen. They testified earlier the United Nations. They knew they couldn't truly statesman their ain process of healing until each the hostages were backmost home.

Trump meets with respective hostages freed from Hamas March 7th  (Hostage Families Forum)

Together, we made definite the telephone "Bring Them Home" would beryllium heard astir the world. And it was.

The Forum grew into thing nary of america saw coming. What started arsenic an enactment to unite the families became a office for advocacy and a location for them. It provided families with personal, medical, ineligible and affectional support. It transformed them into a assemblage and created a refuge during the darkest days of their lives. It operated 24/7, organizing hundreds of delegations of families and survivors to conscionable satellite leaders, moving diplomatic efforts, and coordinating chapters successful 50 countries.

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This was the largest civilian conflict successful Israel's history. Then, connected time 843, the past hostage, Ran Gvili, was returned. The Forum completed its mission.

It was a miracle. But this is not a blessed ending.

Of the hostages brought home, 87 came location for burial. Forty-six men and women who were taken live died successful captivity. Families who spent much than 2 years warring got backmost a coffin alternatively of a homecoming. Survivors transportation wounds that whitethorn ne'er afloat heal.

A poster created by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum shows 48 hostages, including 20 believed to beryllium live and 28 presumed dead, who are expected to beryllium released arsenic portion of President Donald Trump’s Gaza bid plan, displayed successful Tel Aviv, Israel, connected Oct. 11, 2025. (The Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Since Oct. 7, for these families and for the Jewish people, it has inactive been Oct. 7. The calendar moved. Time didn't. There are yet nary hostages near successful Gaza, but determination is nary consciousness of triumph. Only exhaustion and grief and the crushing value of everything that tin ne'er beryllium returned.

This is not over. Not for the families. Not for the survivors. Not for the radical who gave everything to this fight. Not for the full federation of Israel.

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The assemblage of Ran Gvili, the past hostage held successful Gaza, was brought location for burial connected Jan. 26, 2026. (The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters)

The satellite indispensable ne'er hide what happened connected Oct. 7. And the satellite indispensable ne'er hide what these families did successful response. How they turned the deepest symptom imaginable into the loudest, astir unwavering request for humanity the satellite has ever heard.

Bring Them Home was ne'er conscionable a slogan. It was a promise. And we kept it. All of us.

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