Sawt Falasteen - Hostage families fear outcome of intense Israeli strikes on Gaza

"Our children are in danger," Herut Nimrodi told AFP in an interview. Her son, Tamir, was just 18 when he was taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023.

"We don't know much, but one thing that is certain is that military pressure on Gaza endangers the hostages," she said.

Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

A truce that lasted from January 19 to March 17 led to the return of 33 Israeli hostages -— eight of them in coffins -— in exchange for the release of around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

But on March 18, after weeks of disagreement with Hamas over next steps in the ceasefire, Israel resumed large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip, beginning with heavy bombardments.

- 'Negotiations and pressure' -

Nimrodi described her son, a soldier with COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, as "happy, curious, altruistic and creative".

On October 7, Tamir managed to send her a message about the thousands of rockets that Hamas began launching at dawn that day.

He was taken hostage 20 minutes later, along with two other soldiers killed two months later inside Gaza, under unknown circumstances.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government insist that increased military pressure is the only way to force Hamas to hand over the hostages, dead or alive.

"For a year and a half, that hasn't worked. What's worked is negotiations and pressure (from US President Donald Trump)," said Nimrodi, accusing Israel of not prioritising the return of the hostages.

Tamir, who turned 20 in captivity, is one of 24 hostages believed to be alive, though no proof of life has been sent since his abduction.

His mother regularly joins other hostage families at rallies in Tel Aviv, though they don't all agree on the best strategy to secure their return.

Some, like Tzvika Mor, whose son Eitan was abducted at the Nova music festival, believe that strength rather than negotiation is the way to proceed.

"Hamas will never free the hostages out of the goodness of their heart and without military pressure," he said.

A founder of the Tikva Forum -- which means "hope" in Hebrew -- Mor said: "Every time Hamas says 'time out', the government negotiates instead of increasing pressure to free all hostages at once."

- 'Constant fear' -

Others like Dani Miran, whose 48-year-old son Omri was kidnapped from his home at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, disagree.

"The fear that our hostages will be hurt by Israeli strikes is constant," said Miran, a regular at the hostage rallies.

The father, soon to turn 80, said the "hostages that got out said that when the Israeli army attacks Gaza, hostages suffer the consequences".

He said support from his community has given him the ability to stay strong for his son, who has two daughters.

"We just celebrated the second birthday of Alma, his youngest. Her second birthday without her father -— it's so hard," he said.

"I want to hold Omri in my arms and tell him how the whole country is fighting for all the hostages to come home together," he told the crowd during the weekly rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening.

Both Omri and Eitan are believed to be alive.

A few days before Passover -- a Jewish holiday celebrating the biblical liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt -- Herut Nimrodi, whose name means "freedom", said she is still waiting for her son.

"He loves this holiday so much," she said.

K.AbuTaha--SF-PST