Hostage families call for UK action as ceasefire talks risk leaving loved ones behind

Grieving relatives of hostages still held in Gaza issued an emotional appeal for help during a powerful meeting at the Board of Deputies offices in London on Tuesday, warning that current ceasefire proposals risk abandoning their loved ones.

The families – whose sons were among those kidnapped on 7 October – urged British Jewish leaders, journalists, and campaigners to press international mediators for a deal that ensures the return of all hostages, both living and dead.

Hosted by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK, the private gathering brought together the families of five young men abducted during the Hamas attacks: Sahar Baruch, Oz Daniel, Matan Angrest, Evyatar David and Bipin Joshi. Several have been confirmed killed in captivity, though their bodies remain in Gaza.

Among those who travelled to the UK were Merav Daniel, mother of Oz; Tami Baruch, mother of Sahar; Galia David, mother of Evyatar; Rina and Adi Angrest, grandmother and sister of Matan; and Adi Radai, a close friend of Bipin Joshi’s family in Nepal.

The meeting came as Israel signalled its acceptance of a US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. The plan under discussion would see Hamas release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 more in return for a phased truce, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and limited Israeli withdrawal from parts of the territory. The release of the remaining hostages – including dozens still unaccounted for – would be contingent on a permanent ceasefire being reached during that period.

President Donald Trump, who met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington this week, said negotiations were “going along very well,” although no formal breakthrough has yet been achieved.

But for the families in London, the proposed partial deal is a source of anguish.

“We want all of them back,” said Galia David, whose 23-year-old son Evyatar was kidnapped from the Nova music festival. “We want to hug our sons. We want to say, ‘You are safe now.’ But we couldn’t say it on 7 October – and we still can’t.”

Merav Daniel, whose son Oz was taken from his tank unit, recalled clinging to hope for 142 days after a Hamas video showed him alive. “Then we were told he was gone,” she said. “We haven’t had a funeral. We buried a stretcher soaked in his blood and body armour. Now we pray that those who are still alive return – and the dead can be laid to rest with dignity.”

Several relatives voiced frustration not just with Hamas, but with their own government. “Israel is not fighting for my son,” said Merav Daniel. “Every soldier joins the army thinking the State will look out for them – but to this day, not one serving soldier held hostage has been brought home by military action in Gaza.”

“Sometimes, families find out information through Telegram or the media before they hear about anything official,” said Nivi Feldman, UK lead of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. “There’s no clarity. No transparency.”

Tami Baruch said Sahar, her 25-year-old son, was murdered in captivity after trying to retrieve an inhaler for his wounded brother during the attack on Kibbutz Be’eri. “He had every opportunity to run but he went back to help his brother,” she said. “That’s who he was.”

Adi Angrest described a video released four months ago showing her brother Matan, an IDF tank commander, seriously wounded and pleading for help. “His face, ribs and arm were all injured,” she said. “Since then, we’ve heard nothing.”

Representing the family of Bipin Joshi, a 25-year-old Nepalese agricultural student who was working at Kibbutz Alumim, Adi Radai said: “He’s not Jewish, he’s not Israeli, but he was taken too. His parents live in a remote village, don’t speak English and have never left Nepal. We’re here because they can’t be.”

Senior communal leaders present included Michael Wegier, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies, and Adrian Cohen, Senior Vice President, who assured the families of the community’s ongoing support. “We will continue to raise your voices – in Parliament, with the media, and wherever pressure can be applied,” Cohen said.

Closing the event, the Board’s Campaigns Officer Ariella Knoble-Gershon offered a message of hope: “We won’t stop until every single hostage is home alive, to be reunited with their family, and the deceased are buried respectfully. And when we come to Israel, we hope to see you reunited – or able to bury your beautiful children. That’s our prayer for you, and our wish for you. And we hope to see you in different circumstances.

To support the Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK, visit @bringhomenow_uk