Day 303 of The War: Outside Galant’s Home

Because of the tense situation with Iran and Hezbollah, the main demonstration in Kaplan was canceled yesterday. I still planned to demonstrate with the hostage families in Tel Aviv, but then  received a message from the headquarters asking people to join the families in demonstrations across the home of Security Minister Yoav Galant in Amikam, a moshav near Hadera, by the home of Member of Knesset Aryeh Deri, or outside the Shaul Gate of the Kiryah (the security ministry), opposite the Hostages Square. 

A friend and I chose to go to Amikam. It was pitch dark when we arrived, but we were encouraged when, at the end of a windy path, we saw several dozen people standing. It wasn’t far from Galant’s home; we saw quite a few family members and many supporters. The speeches of the family members were short and desperate. They essentially told Galant: we know you wish to bring our loved ones back; please tell the nation that Netanyahu is sabotaging the deal for personal, unrelated reasons. One of the mothers said that the families never wanted to replace the government, as they don’t wish any interference in the efforts to bring the hostages back. But they are losing their patience. They are barely alive, running from demonstrations to funerals and have no life.

Rubi Hen, the father of Itay Hen, a soldier who was killed on October 7 after saving many lives, spoke about his son. Itay insisted on volunteering to serve as a tanker even though, as an excellent student in high school, he could have chosen to be safe and work with computers. It was really painful to stand with the family members and know that there was nothing we could do to help them. They kept thanking us for coming—didn’t they know this was the least we could do? The whole time, I kept thinking about another son, Netanyahu’s, who snuck into the new aircraft that Netanyahu purchased with our money and flew back to Israel with his parents.

The demonstration ended with our national anthem, and then we walked back to our cars, sad and disappointed that Galant did not respond to the families. However, today, while volunteering in the dining room at headquarters, I heard that Galant did come out to the families after we had all left and invited them to his home to talk. He said that he was committed to bringing all the hostages back, both those who are alive and those who are no longer with us. “I am busy with that mission every day,” he said. I believe him, but it is not enough. Bring the hostages back now.