Sawt Falasteen - Religious Jews comfort hostages' families in Tel Aviv

The paved area, now known as "Hostage Square", welcomes the families of the captives -- most taken from secular kibbutzim -- for emotional gatherings every Saturday evening where they issue a rallying cry for their loved ones' freedom: "A deal now!"

On Tuesdays, religious Jews attend to provide solace to the families.

"(We came) to meet them, to listen to them, show them that we support them," says Odelia Dimant, wearing the traditional head covering of religious Jewish women.

It is the 33-year-old's first time coming to the square, where she listens attentively to a cousin of Omer Neutra, a young soldier captured on October 7, 2023.

The crowd this Tuesday is mainly made up of women on the anniversary of Jewish matriarch Rachel's death in the Hebrew calendar.

According to Jewish tradition, Rachel, who died in childbirth and was buried in Bethlehem, wept as she awaited the return of the exiled Jews.

In front of an attentive assembly, popular Orthodox speaker Yemima Mizrachi drew a parallel between Rachel's tears and those of the hostages' mothers.

Before the crowd gathers in front of the stage to listen to performers and sing along, the hostages' families and religious Jews form small talking circles.

During Hamas's October 7 attack, militants took 251 hostages back to the Gaza Strip. Of those, 97 are still held there, including 34 who have been confirmed dead.

The past 400 days have been agonising for the families.

Ever since a truce deal allowed the release of more than 100 hostages in November 2023, negotiations aimed at securing another have been at a standstill, with hopes for more releases further dimmed after key interlocutor Qatar suspended its mediation between Israel and Hamas.

- 'We support them' -

A collective formed on October 8, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, launched the regular gatherings at the esplanade of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, later renamed Hostage Square by the city council.

"The idea behind these gatherings is unity, and it's the path that I chose, that of dialogue, not shouting but sharing what I have been going through for more than a year," says Galia David, whose 22-year-old son Evyatar David was kidnapped at the Nova music festival. More than 40 people were taken hostage at the same event.

The unity at Hostage Square moves her deeply, she says.

"The fact that they come here with different ideologies shows that they are here to listen to us, help us, support us."

Between the stands selling yellow ribbons -- a symbol of solidarity with the hostages -- visitors take photos, including in front of a giant clock that counts the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds that have passed since October 7.

For Ditza Or, a religious woman and the mother of Israeli hostage Avinathan Or, the nights are "special".

"I am moved to see this support," she says. "Tonight is about unity and prayer. I feel people's support all the time. I see so much love... The unity is real."

- 'Our hearts are linked' -

The evening's highlight is a prayer for the hostages' release, recited by Shelly Shem Tov, whose son Omer is being held captive, and Shlomit Kalmanson, a woman in a head covering who lost her husband Elchanan during the fighting at Kibbutz Beeri on October 7.

Elchanan grabbed his weapon on that fateful day and, with his brother and nephew, went to the secular kibbutz close to Gaza to try and defend the civilians there.

They saved more than 100 people's lives, but Elchanan did not survive.

"Shlomit and I are different, in our appearance, in our places of residence, certainly in our votes, but we have in common love and the ability to see the good," Shem Tov said told the crowd, unable to hold back her tears, her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Our hearts are linked, each with her suffering, but beyond this suffering, we share hope."

X.Habash--SF-PST