Hostages families caravan to Gaza border, breach fence and call out to loved ones with loudspeakers

The Hostage Families Forum, representing family members of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas, led a convoy of vehicles from the Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to the Gaza border on Wednesday.

The convoy arrived at Kibbutz Be'eri on Wednesday evening, with some vehicles pulling trailers carrying burned-out skeletons of vehicles destroyed during the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre.

According to The Jerusalem Post, over 300 vehicles participated in the convoy. 

On Thursday morning, several family members who had approached the Gaza border broke through a perimeter fence and ran toward the security barrier, and then used megaphones and loudspeakers to call out to their loved ones being held hostage by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists in Gaza. 

Video from the incident showed about two dozen hostage family members – many wearing shirts with bloody handprints, and carrying signs of the hostages – rushing through the fence and toward the barrier. 

This morning, families of the hostages used loudspeakers to call out to their loved ones, who have been languishing in Hamas tunnels for 328 days.

In their immense grief, the families broke through the fence, running towards the Gaza border in a desperate attempt to get as… pic.twitter.com/MpH3V1OsSe

— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) August 29, 2024

The Hostage Family Forum released a statement that read: “The families in their great pain breached the fence to Gaza and ran toward the Gaza Strip to get as close to their loved ones as possible.” 

The Forum also blamed the government for failing to reach an agreement for the release of the remaining hostages. 

The group spent about 20 minutes in between the perimeter fence and the security barrier before IDF soldiers asked them to return to Israeli territory. 

The cousin of hostage Carmel Gat, Gil Dickman, told Ynet news: “I'm still not sure it was the right decision not to continue to Gaza. Next time we will be more, hundreds, thousands – and we will not stop.” 

Omri Shtivi, a relative of Ivan Shtivi, stated: “If the government won’t bring them back, then we will. If the government won’t make a deal, then we will get them.” 

Dickman said the security forces told them just a few minutes earlier that there had been mortar fire in the area and they “were ducks on a shooting range.” 

Hebrew news site N12 reported that one of the police officers appealed to the families of the hostages, calling on them to return to the area of Kibbutz Nirim. 

“I cried like a little girl,” the officer said. “There is no one who identifies more than us.” 

The officer also told them: “You are endangering our lives and yours. Please don't make us use force. We don't want to do it, you are our brothers.” 

Ella Ben Ami, daughter of Ohad Ben Ami, cried out to her father: “Daddy! I love you, I will do anything to hug you again. Hang on, don't break. It's hard but you'll be fine! You will come back and we will all hug you! Dad, we're all waiting for you here. You are so missed, missed by all of us. You have to survive it to the end.” 

The parents of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin also spoke over the loudspeaker. 

“It’s Day 328. We are all here. All the families of the remaining 107 hostages,” said Rachel Goldberg-Polin in English. She also told him that she was praying a daily blessing for him, based on the Aaronic Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26. 

"It's Mama, Hersh” shouted Rachel Goldberg-Polin into the speakers, while standing at the Gaza border.

“It’s day 328. We are all here, all the families of the remaining 107 hostages. Hersh, we are working day and night, and we will never stop.
I need you to know that I am giving… pic.twitter.com/fc66SZy0zI

— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) August 29, 2024

“May God bless you and keep you. May God’s light shine upon you, and may God be gracious to you. May you feel God’s Presence within you always, and may you find peace,” Goldberg-Polin said. 

Many of the family members condemned the government for creating obstacles in the negotiations, such as the demand to retain control of the Philadelphi Corridor. 

Of the remaining hostages in Gaza, at least 33 have been confirmed as dead according to the IDF.