Kibbutz Nir Oz held an equestrian rally on Friday in honor of the hostages still in Gaza, as well as for Nir Oz resident Eliyahu Margalit, known as "Churchill," who was killed at his home on October 7. His body remains in Gaza.
Margalit was a cow breeder and was known to love horses. Nili Margalit, his daughter, was released in the November 2023 deal, just a day before her father was pronounced dead.
“Dad, the thought that you are a hostage hurts me a thousand times more than my own captivity,” Nili said, according to a press release from the kibbutz.”You are a man of freedom: no one could control you. You are a man of fields and wide spaces, and that’s also why you fell in love with the Western Negev, an open, flat area full of space and freedom, a lot of freedom.
“No one should be in captivity. Not children, not women, not the elderly, not men, not civilians, not soldiers, not the living, not the dead. No one should be in captivity,” she said, adding that she had not had full closure with her father’s passing yet.
When will they come home?
“Dad, it’s already been 651 days that I’ve been waiting for the moment when I can say goodbye to you on your final journey to the land of Nir Oz. 651 days that my thoughts give me no rest. And I keep asking, when, when, when will that day come?”
Former hostage Gadi Moses also participated in the rally.
“This tough, hard, and cold government that manages our lives doesn’t understand what it means for parents, siblings, and families waiting for their loved ones. It sets priorities that are unacceptable. At least from my perspective – illogical and emotionless,” Moses said.
“They [the government] have no patience until they finish with Iran, until they finish with the draft-dodging laws, finish with the judicial reform, finish everything, and then maybe they will think about a few more hostages who are either alive or have already died. So, we are all in a desperate call to those who decide – enough already!”
Yechiel Yehoud, father of former hostage Arbel Yehuod, added that his daughter "now sits in front of the decision-makers at the political and military levels, showing them what it means to be a captive in Gaza.
"The terror they experience when the war rages around them, as the army approaches and the terrorists point a rifle at their heads."
He ended with an impassioned plea to end the war in Gaza and bring all of the remaining hostages home.
"This war, the longest of Israel’s wars, can and should be ended. We can save the next family from the worst, and protect the dreams of young people.
"We can return all the hostages. We can, we must, and it’s required.”
The rally comes as Israel reportedly made significant strides to achieve a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas.
US President Donald Trump noted that he hoped to have a deal to bring back 10 living hostages "finished quickly."