As Gaza marks six months of devastating war, families of those held hostage have opened up about their heartbreak.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he won’t agree to a ceasefire until captives are released.
On Sunday, he said: “We are one step away from victory. But the price we paid is painful and heartbreaking.
“There will be no ceasefire without the return of hostages. It just won’t happen.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office released a video on X showing British families speaking about their loved ones who have been held hostage in Gaza.
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In the video, the devastated family members said: “It’s been six months. Bring them home.”
One man, whose sister was in Israel when the war broke out, said: “I woke up on a Saturday morning, checked the news and saw that there had been missile strikes in Israel.
“I sent a WhatsApp message to Lianne to see if she was okay and I’ve never wanted the two blue ticks to appear on a WhatsApp message more. That message remains unread.”
He went on: “We were told that Lianne had died. We assumed that Eli had also died, but it was only later that we were told that in fact, he had been taken hostage in Gaza.”
Lianne Sharabi died at Kibbutz Be’ri with daughters Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13. Her husband, Eli Sharabi, remains missing presumed captive in Hamas’s hands.
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He pointed at two pictures on his table and a teddy bear. He said: “So next to me here, I have my sister’s favourite teddy bear. My mum now sleeps with it in her room and he wears with it the dog tags of ‘Bring Them Home’.”
When asked how he would spend the sombre anniversary, Lianne’s brother said: “I think we’ll just spend a quiet day thinking about my sister and my nieces. Thinking about Eli and all the other hostages, thinking about what more we can do to bring them home.”
Another woman, sitting with a young child, says: “My father and her grandfather, who is 83, is a hostage in Gaza. We know he was injured on the first day when he was separated from my mother. My mother came back to us after 17 days.”
Gaza’s Health Ministry says 33,175 Palestinians have been killed, including 13,800 children, since October 7. At least 75,886 others have been wounded.
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