Israeli hostage families light first candle of Hanukkah, marking start of second holiday without loved ones

Families and relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza lit the first candle of Hanukkah on Wednesday, marking the start of the second such holiday without their loved ones, according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters.

Thousands of people attended a silent protest led by Shift 101 on Wednesday, which aims to put pressure on the government to work on releasing the hostages, it said. “Mothers and female relatives of the hostages, joined by many supporters, held a three-hour silent protest in white clothing, demanding an immediate deal to return all hostages,” the statement continued.

The vigil was followed by a candle-lighting ceremony at Beit Ariela in Tel Aviv. “Shira Albag, mother of (hostage) Liri Albag, lit the first candle while participants prayed together for the return of the 100 hostages,” the statement said.

“We won’t let the light go out. We must light the first candle and begin the deal. May each candle light the next until all our light returns with the homecoming of 100 hostages through a deal,” Shay Dickmann, cousin of hostage Carmel Gat, who was killed during captivity, said during the ceremony, according to the Forum statement.

Top US, Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials have all touted progress in the negotiations to the Gaza hostage and ceasefire last week. While officials caution that a deal is neither sealed nor guaranteed, recent upbeat language and diplomatic activity have signaled momentum toward reaching a deal.

Israeli negotiators returned home from talks in Qatar Tuesday for “internal consultations.”

Hamas is holding 100 hostages in Gaza – 96 taken on October 7, 2023, and four others who were kidnapped before that, according to Israeli authorities. The hostages include 13 women and two children under the age of five, according to the authorities.

At least 36 of the hostages have now been confirmed dead by Israel.

Israeli leaders also recalled the hostages at ceremonies marking the first night of Hannukah.

“I don’t believe that last year during Channukah (Hanukkah), anyone thought that a hundred of our brothers and sisters would still be in the hands of Hamas terrorists,” President Isaac Herzog said at Beit HaLochem in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, per a statement from his office.

“We are in a critical period for their return,” Herzog added, calling on Israel’s government “to act with all its might, using every tool at our disposal, to secure a deal. This is your duty.”

The first candle of Hanukkah was also lit at the Western Wall in Jerusalem along with other areas across the country on Wednesday as people gathered there to pray for the return of the hostages.

“Families of the hostages, we all pray that even today, they will return to Jerusalem, to the Holy Land, safe and well,” Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday also marked Hanukkah at his office in Jerusalem with a more hawkish tone.

“Today we light the first candle of Hanukkah to mark the victory of the Maccabees of that time and the victory of the ‘Maccabees of today,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by the prime minister’s office, referring to a group of Jewish warriors and freedom fighters in the 2nd century BCE.

“Like then – we are hitting the oppressors and those who thought they would cut the thread of our lives here so it will apply to everyone. The Houthis will also learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and the Assad regime and others have learned, and even if it takes time, this lesson will be learned throughout the Middle East,” Netanyahu added in the statement.

He made no mention of the hostages held in Gaza.

Israel launched its war against Hamas in Gaza after the militant group’s October 7, 2023, cross-border attacks, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the health ministry in the enclave.