Wearing a countenance marked by 47 days of anxious anticipation, Hadas Kalderon took to the streets to obstruct traffic on a central Tel Aviv thoroughfare near Israel’s military headquarters. Kalderon urged Israel’s leaders, convening in the complex, to endorse an agreement for the release of at least 50 hostages held by Hamas, potentially including her son and daughter.
“We are adamant about bringing them all back. I will persist until every one of them is reunited with us,” declared Kalderon. Her 16-year-old daughter Sahar, 12-year-old son Erez, and their father (her ex-husband, Ofer) were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. They are part of the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza, taken during the tragic attack that claimed 1,200 lives on that fateful day.
The deal approved by Israel’s government early Wednesday morning will free at least 50 Israeli hostages — among them women and children — in exchange for some 150 Palestinian women and minors in Israeli prison on security offenses. Israel has also agreed to a four-day pause in its war against Hamas in Gaza. Wearing a countenance marked
Kalderon understands that this hostage deal won’t bring the entire family home. But she sees it as a crucial first step.