For 15 months, the plaza in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art has been a focal point for the families of the hostages held in Gaza by Hamas.  Hostages Square has been a place of protest and pain, where thousands have gathered for weekly rallies.  

Today saw excitement mingled with despair when it seemed that Hamas were not going to meet the terms set down, then renewed hope as the names of three hostages were confirmed. The families are all too aware though that there is no guarantee that their loved ones will be returned alive. 

“We are dealing with terrorists. They were supposed to send the names of the hostages to be released and they weren’t sent to Qatar," said Daniel Lifshitz, whose grandfather Oded Lifshitz, 84 was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and is  expected to be released in the first stage of the deal.

“There will be very hard moments of excitement and of disappointment, a mix of feelings we have not felt before. We have been waiting for this nightmare to start and end,” Daniel told the JC.

In addition to his grandfather, he is still waiting for all those kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz to be redeemed.

“It will be closure. The community will be able to start to heal and decide whether they want to go back to the kibbutz. They can make the decision with a full heart and knowing no family member is in Gaza,” he explained.

“On a personal level, it’s very difficult. We ask ourselves whether we should prepare for a festival or a funeral. How can we prepare for both?” he added.

“For someone who came back from captivity, today is a very special day,” said Shay Gross, who as a child captive was rescued during the IDF's infamous Operation Thunderbolt, the 1976 counter-terrorism raid in Entebbe Uganda.

“I couldn’t sleep last night. When we were rescued from captivity in the heroic mission – 4,000 kilometers away from home – no one treated me, no one treated us, my parents went back to work and I was left with all the issues to deal with,” he explained.

“I am happy that when they come back they will be taken care of. A few months ago, I met with 100 psychologists and psychiatrists who wanted to know what I went through as a child so that those returning will not go through it,” said Gross, who was six years old when he was among the Entebbe hostages. 

“It’s very moving to be here. I could not go to work today, it’s very emotional. A lot of feelings and tears in my eyes. And if someone can understand what they will be going through when they come back, it’s me,” he added.

Nehama, 28, from Jerusalem had come to Hostage Square so that the families of the captives would "feel we are still all with them. Our prayers are for everyone to be freed.
“It feels like a resurrection," Nehama told the JC. "This year, some families received the news that their loved ones were murdered and would not return, and now we have families whose relatives are coming home even after we felt that maybe all had been lost. There are no words.” 

Tal Didi was among those who gathered at Hostage Square today. She sees it as a symbol of Israel’s plight. 

“I think that every citizen from every country around the world has to come here at least once, to try and understand more closely what happened to us,"  she said.   "To cry, hug, console and see this square, which has turned into a symbol. My heart brought me here especially on this day.

“I know it will sound weird," she continued. "I am an older lady, I have children and grandchildren, but I am so excited as if it’s happening to me. As if the elderly are my parents, as if the children are my children. My heart is racing."

Fifty youngsters from the Derech Eretz mechina  (pre-military programme for teenagers) located in Ashalim in the Negev also converged on Hostage Square in a show of solidarity.

“The people of Israel are like brothers and it feels like the captives are members of our family,” Shai Moshe told The JC. “Unfortunately, we will not be here when they come out because we have to continue with the activities of the mechina but we will see it online.

“My message to the people of Israel is to stay strong, with hope, and that, God willing, all the captives will return. We are waiting for them here at home,” Moshe added.

“We are going in the right direction,” Eyal Kalderon, whose cousin Ofer is one of 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the agreement, told the JC.

Ofer, who is over 50 years old, was supposed to be released in the November 2023 Israel-Hamas truce agreement, which the Palestinian terror group violated before its completion.

“The terrorists in the tunnel had told him he would be next. They prepared him and had him shave his beard but as we know, it didn’t happen, we can only imagine the feeling when he heard that he was not going to be released and his disappointment,” Eyal Kalderon said.

“I hope he knows that now it’s happening and that he is holding on. He just needs to survive a few more days or weeks and he will come to us,” he continued. “Then, we will have to see his physical and mental condition and take steps to help him recover. I just want him to hug him."

Harel Sharabi’s two uncles, Eli and Yossi Sharabi, were both kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Oct. 7 massacre. Yossi was murdered in captivity, with Hamas still holding his body, while Eli is slated to be released in the first phase of the latest agreement.

Eli’s wife and two daughters were murdered by Hamas on October 7.

“I’m waiting to tell him all the things we did, fighting for him like crazy. I’m waiting to see him smile,” Sharabi told The JC.

“We don’t know this officially but we suppose that he is alive. Actually, we don’t know anything. We are talking about plans to go to the hospital once he is released. I think we will be able to feel the grief more when he comes back,” Harel said.

“I’m excited on the one hand but also feel sorry for the families who won’t get to meet their loved ones. I am sad that we won’t yet get to bury my uncle Yossi,” she added.

Yehuda Cohen will have to wait at least 16 days before negotiations begin on the second phase of the deal, when his son, IDF soldier Nimrod Cohen, kidnapped by Hamas terrorists near Kibbutz Nirim on October 7, would be released.

“The clock is ticking and time is against him,” Cohen told the JC.

“I am afraid that my fight will be in vain and that Nimrod will be murdered. I’d do anything to get my son back, I want him alive, not for burial,” he said.

“I cherish life and we are fighting for life, the lives of the remaining hostages. Some of them are already lost. I want to make sure that Nimrod will be freed alive. Then we will start the physical and psychological reconstruction,” he added.

At the square, one supporter played the piano, accompanied by another on the flute, as others anxiously inspected a makeshift tunnel set up to simulate the torture being experienced by the abductees. Every now and then, supporters identified a relative of one of the captives, sharing words of encouragement or even hugging them.

Some laughed, others wiped away tears. But all were cautiously optimistic and relieved at the prospect of welcoming back three abductees.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a call to the public to gather at the square at 4 pm local time ahead of the expected release, with swarms of people already converging ahead of time.

“Crowds of Israelis will come to be together at Hostages Square, to support the families of the hostages and to watch the historic and emotional moments that will be projected on the giant screen,” the forum said.

“Now, more than ever, we need the people of Israel with us, until the last hostage. Nobody will be left behind," it added.