Day 345 of the War: ‘Standing Together’ with the Hostages

Last night at Kaplan, I was a woman on a mission. Once again, all the demonstrations united to one huge protest with a single demand: the immediate return of the hostages. “Standing Together,” a movement whose values I deeply identify with, asked its activists to come early to Kaplan and help hold a gigantic sign visible from a drone, with the writing: “To bring everyone home, exit Gaza”  Many of us gathered at the corner of Kaplan and Begin, near Democracy Square, to take part in this mission.

The organizers, using a loudspeaker, urged us to be lively and energetic, reminding us that we were there for action, not mourning. After 344 days with no end in sight, it’s hard not to feel despair. But we stood there, chanting, “Bring them home now,” “Why are they still in Gaza?” and “Bring back the women, the men, the soldiers.” A  group of drummers from Standing Together accompanied our chants, making sure the energy stayed high.

Around 8:30, about an hour after we arrived, the area around us filled with people. Then we unfolded the gigantic sign, raised it up, and held it in the air until we were sure it was photographed by the drone. The whole process took about 10 minutes, and afterward, we folded the sign again.

At that point, the families of the hostages began the rally, and their speeches were projected onto Democracy Square, where we stood. We heard from Michal Lubanov, the wife of hostage Alex Lubanov, who was executed by Hamas along with five other young hostages. Michal spoke about their two little boys, one of whom was born after his father was abducted by Hamas. She said, “I don’t want you to look at me with pity. I want you to do everything to bring a different outcome for other women, for other hostages. ” She added, “I yearn to see the hostages return home. Give them a happy ending, give us all a different ending,  and sign a hostage deal, save those who can be saved. Give us air, give them air, bring them home now. “

There were other heartbreaking pleas from family members. When I went home about two hours later, people were still arriving to show their support. We live in an impossible reality where the will of the people is constantly being trampled on by a government that lost its legitimacy long ago. But we are determined to persevere until we bring a happy ending to our country and.