Amal Network Mourns the Loss of Hostages and Calls for Their Immediate Return

Today, Oded Lifshitz, 83, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, who was abducted and murdered in captivity in Gaza, will be laid to rest. Tomorrow, Shiri Bibas and her two young children, four-year-old Ariel, and nine-month-old Kfir, will also be buried. They, too, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 2023 and brutally murdered in captivity. The two Bibas infnats, recognized for their gingir hair, have become a symbol for the brutality of the Hamas attack as well as for the failure of the state of Israel to protect them and once kidnapped, to bring them back alive.

Israel’s Minister of Education, Yoav Kisch, has called for discussions in schools today and tomorrow about the hostages and the efforts to secure their release, urging educators to discuss the subject in their classrooms and urge students to reflect on the ongoing crisis that began when Hamas invaded southern Israel, massacred civilians, and abducted 251 people.

Now, on the 508  th day of the war, as Israel prepares to retrieve the bodies of four hostages—innocent people kidnapped alive and murdered in captivity—Amal Educational Network bows its head in grief. We call upon our 100,000-strong community to actively support the families of the hostages and demand that the Israeli government bring home the remaining 63 hostages without delay.

In a message to the Amal community, Amal’s Director General, Karen Tal, expressed sorrow over the unbearable loss and expressed her deep concern for those still held captive, both dead or alive. She emphasized the need for unwavering solidarity with the families of the hostages and the obligation to secure the return of all hostages, including Matan Zangauker, an Amal Ofakim school graduate, who is still kept hostage in Gaza. Citing Jewish tradition, she reminded us that saving even one life is akin to saving an entire world. Amal remains committed to this moral imperative, standing united in hope and determination.