Former Gaza hostage Yarden Bibas called on Israelis to post themselves with the sentence 'I have no independence because they are still there' in a social media post calling for the return of the hostages on Monday.
"On Israel’s 76th Independence Day, I was in a tunnel, and I didn’t think that in Israel, we would be celebrating Independence Day during a war and while there were hostages in captivity," Bibas wrote.
"On the 77th Independence Day, there is still a war, and there are still hostages, only this time I am home. I returned to an empty home, and after everything I went through—and am still going through—I still call this country home and choose life every single day."
Bibas wrote that he could not celebrate his independence while there were still hostages in Gaza, adding that he would not be able to rest until everyone is home.
"Please, let the phrase 'to be a free people in our land' be true for everyone," he wrote, asking his followers to change their profile pictures to include the phrase in solidarity.
Hostage mother Einav Zangauker posted her own photo
Einav Zangauker, mother of Gaza hostage Matan, uploaded her own photo with the phrase, along with the hashtag 'Independence 59,' referencing the remaining 59 hostages.
"As long as our sons and daughters are being held there, we cannot celebrate Independence Day — true independence requires ending the war and reaching a deal to free them all," she wrote.