Liri, come back NOW!

Liri, you have to come back NOW. We've been waiting for you for 466 days now (466:12:38:38 to be precise).

You were the first kidnapped person whose face I saw, glued to a bus station near my house (top photo on left). I knew that you are extra important - to me, to many. We finally saw two photos of you (bottom photo on left), taken from a video that Hamas shared a week ago. You are changed. But you are strong and you will be a superhero after you'll be reunited with your family.

These 466 days, I have been waiting for all of the 251 hostages, but for some of them in particular. One of them (Noa Argamani came back - I have posts on her too). Three of the kidnapped persons are now dead. And I am so sad.

Dear Omer Neutra, nephew of my friend Osnat Getz -- I followed your parents' efforts, speaking to all world leaders, activists even after the terrible news of your death reached us, after you had been taken from this earth for over a year. I was at your Shivah (the virtual one in the US and the physical one in Israel) and I am still waiting for your burrial, when your body will be returned.

I was also waiting for Carmel Gat (I shared a previous post about a Yoga session that I atended in Haifa with hundreds of people waiting for her. Her body was freed by the Israeli army. Along with her, the body of Hersh Goldberg-Polin was also brough back by the army (see an earlier post about his mother's efforts, being named by Time Magazine as one of the most influential peopel of 2024).

In the past 34 hours, I've been checking the news every 15 minutes to see when the new Israel-Hamas deal will be official....to be continued.