Hostage Square in Tel Aviv has been at the heart of the ‘Bring Them Home Now’ movement, and tonight it may be active for the last time as the hostages who have been held in Gaza for the last 736 days are set to return home on Monday morning.
The hostages are set to be released just before Simchat Torah, the two- year anniversary of their kidnapping. Hamas holds 48 hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are thought to be alive. The Israeli Cabinet voted on Trump’s plan last week with it coming into effect at noon on Friday, after which Hamas has 72 hours to return the hostages. They are expected to be released at 8am on October 13th.
This evening, The Post visited Hostage Square to talk to the people there about their worries, hopes, and concerns about the upcoming release of the hostages. Even before the final event was set to start (midnight) the square was packed with people, excited to be there for what they hoped was the last time.
So how do the people of Israel feel in the run up to their release? We asked around Hostage Square to find out.
Many people at Hostage Square said “I’m here for the last time - I hope” and hope was certainly a sentiment that hung in the air. The cautious optimism that has surrounded this deal since its acceptance on Thursday seemed to hang heavily over everyone we spoke with.
A woman from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, who lost her son, Tal Eilon, on October 7, told us “my son will never come back but [the remaining hostages] are getting to come back at last… I’m here to share my sympathy.”
She acknowledged that it is “not a very happy day for [her]” but nonetheless she is grateful that they will be coming back, especially “our beloved twins, Gali and Ziv [Berman] who are from [her] kibbutz."
Tal Eilon, 46, was the head of the security force in Kfar Aza. He was killed defending his kibbutz, along with his father. He managed to kill three of the terrorists who were trying to enter Kfar Aza.
'Opimistic skepticism'
Another man from Tel Aviv described feeling “very excited, but a bit anxious about completing the deal”, a sentiment shared by many of the Israelis we spoke with. Other people told us they had "optimistic skepticism” about the release.
Although many were skeptical and worried about being too optimistic before the hostages were back in Israeli territory, others told us they were filled with “pure excitement and happiness that the hostages are coming home” and remarked on their impression of “more excitement [even though] there is a nervousness that [Hamas] may turn on us.
One American-Israeli said that “it’s hard for [him] to believe it until [he] sees it,” whilst a French woman described feeling “hopeful that this would be [her] last visit to Hostage Square.” She noted that she is “excited but afraid,” and that the other “people aren’t happy here - maybe tomorrow after they are released - but for now people are waiting for their families.”
A woman from Netanya said that “there is a lot of excitement and nervousness here” but she “wants to be sure because [she] doesn’t want to expect something and then it doesn’t happen.”
A non-Jewish man told us that as “a father, [he] can’t imagine what these families have gone through.”
Many expressed some concern about the 2000+ prisoners being released in exchange for the hostages, but ultimately they all agreed that the price was worth paying if it meant that “our hostages would come back in the morning.” One noted that the willingness to pay a heavy price for the dead and alive hostages “shows the compassion of Israel.”