Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Jan. 19, 2025, as three Israeli hostages were set to be released from Hamas captivity as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal. Photo: Taken by author

i24 News – Families of Gaza hostages and their supporters held a public Passover Seder at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Saturday night, amid reports of stalemate and foot dragging in the negotiations on the release of the remaining 59 hostages, over 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

Ahead of the Tel Aviv event, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged Israelis to turn out to Hostages Square outside the Tel Aviv Museum.

“Bring your holiday meal with you, bring a mat or chair, come with the kids, come with friends — let’s be together,” the statement read.

“How can we sit at the Seder table and tell the story of our journey from slavery to freedom while 59 of our brothers and sisters are still held captive by Hamas?” the Forum asked.

Karina Ariev, an IDF spotter who was released in January as part of the first phase of a ceasefire-hostage deal, urged Israelis celebrating the Seder to “leave an empty chair for the hostages, and do not forget them.”

“Although I am here, my heart is still there. There are still 59 hostages waiting for their freedom holiday, waiting to be brought home,” she added. “I think about them, and I think about us because until they return, none of us can truly be free.”