Families of Israeli hostages march to Jerusalem to demand release of all hostages

A protest march demanding the release of all hostages in the hands of the Hamas terrorists in Gaza began its five-day journey from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Tuesday night.

The protest is being led by family members of the approximately 240 hostages who are still being held in the Gaza Strip.

One of the family members is Yuval Haran, whose father Avshalom was murdered, while his mother Shoshan, 67, and six other family members were kidnapped by the terrorists on Oct. 7.

“Bringing everyone home is the prime minister’s moral responsibility towards the citizens of the country,” Haran told the Ynet news outlet.

“I think the decision-makers should look at it as if their child is there, their mother or their sister. Show us that you’re in control of the event; show us that you have responsibility for those people who just sat in their homes and celebrated the holidays; show us that they are important to you. Bring them home. They have been there for 38 days and we don’t know what their condition is,” he added.

The march is planned to cover about 63 km (40 miles) – from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – over the span of five days, with stops in Be’er Ya’akov, Kibbutz Gezer, Latrun Junction and Ma’ale HaHamisha, where the participants plan to celebrate Shabbat on Friday evening.

On Saturday, the march will culminate in a central demonstration at the Wohl Rose Garden, located in the heart of the government complex, near the Israeli Knesset and Supreme Court in Jerusalem.

“We want our cry to be heard, we want the Israeli public to join us and raise its voice along with us,” Haran said.

Yuval was not at home on Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists invaded and terrorized the community, brutally killing dozens of its residents and kidnapping dozens more.

Haran’s mother Shoshan, his sister Adi and her husband Tal, his two nephews Neve (8) and Yahel (3), and his aunt, Sharon Avigdori along with her 12-year-old daughter Noam, were all kidnapped.

Haran’s father Avshalom was murdered, along with his Aunt Lilach and Uncle Eviatar Kipnis.

Lilach Kipnis was a psychologist who specialized in helping Israeli children in Gaza's border communities deal with the traumatic reality of sirens and running to safety shelters, something that has been a part of their lives before Oct. 7.