Itai Svirsky. Avraham Munder. Yarden Bibas.
Just three of the more than 130 Israelis held captive by Hamas in the ongoing war in Gaza.
After nearly two months of international headlines about the fighting, it’s easy to become desensitized to the situation, some say. But family members waiting for the safe return of their loved ones who are being held hostage are determined to keep their stories in the public conscience.
That’s why family members of Israeli hostages traveled to Los Angeles to share their stories during a press conference on Friday, Dec. 1, at City Hall sponsored by the American Jewish Committee and hosted by L.A. City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.
Richard Hirschhaut, director of AJC Los Angeles, called the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and the kidnapping of Jews a “gut punch” for the Jewish community.
“The days and weeks that have followed have been a serial nightmare,” he said.
Among those who shared their personal tales of anguish was Ofir Weinberg, the cousin of Itai Svirsky, who was living in Tel Aviv when he was taken as a hostage by Hamas. Svirksy’s parents were killed during the Oct. 7 attack.
Weinberg said the family recently received news, based on reports from other hostages who were with him but have since been freed, that Svirsky is alive, though in a “very bad” state mentally. Svirsky witnessed his mother being murdered, Weinberg said, adding that Svirsky has been in captivity for over 50 days and is now alone after others he was held hostage with were released.
She worries that Svirsky doesn’t realize some of his relatives survived and are continuing to advocate for his release. If he was aware, she said, it could help with his mental state.
“Itai – he’s a man of peace,” said Weinberg, noting her 38-year-old cousin’s work as a mental health counselor.
She pleaded for the public not to let up on demanding that all hostages be freed.
“This is about civilians – civilians being taken out of their homes, innocent civilians,” she said, choking up. “If the hostages can be released, we can save lives from both sides.”
Itay Raviv also provided testimony about his family’s pain. His great-uncle, Avraham Munder, 78, lost a son during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. While Munder’s wife, daughter and a grandson were released on Nov. 24, Regev said the family’s “happiness cannot be complete” until Munder and the other remaining hostages are safely returned to their families.
“This should be the top priority of the entire world. This is the No. 1 human rights issue at the moment,” Regev said while holding up a poster with a picture of his great-uncle.
A third speaker, Ophyr Hanan of a group called ISRAEL-is, spoke on behalf of the Bibas family, whose 10-month-old baby, Kfir Bibas, was believed to be the youngest Israeli hostage.
This week, the Israel Defense Forces said it was looking into a claim by Hamas that Kfir, his brother 4-year-old Ariel, and their mother Shiri, died after being taken hostage. The father, Yarden Bibas, remains a hostage.
“Any extra day in which these hostages are kept in captivity is a crime against humanity,” said Hanan.
In separate remarks after the press conference, Hanan said relatives of the Bibas family had stressed that the message they wished to impart to the world is that children should never be used as pawns in a war.
Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Los Angeles chapter, in a statement late Friday, said the organization calls “for the release of all civilians held by either side.”
“Civilians should never be treated as political pawns, whether they are indefinitely detained or treated as so-called ‘collateral damage,’” the statement read in part.
“The only way to guarantee that no additional civilians are impacted by these cycles of violence and to allow for the restart of the negotiation to release detained civilians and fighters is to implement a permanent ceasefire” and to end Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, he said.
Following a week of ceasefire, Israel and Hamas resumed fighting on Friday.
According to the Associated Press, more than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed in the war, and about 1,200 Israelis have died – most during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that started the war.