JERUSALEM. Just two days after Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, the families of hostages taken in the October 7, 2023 attack are urging the government to seize the moment to bring their loved ones home. The death of Sinwar, who was a key figure in the militant group, has left many families torn between fear and cautious optimism—worried about retaliation, but hopeful that Sinwar’s removal could pave the way for new negotiations.
“Netanyahu and the U.S. said in the last couple of weeks that Sinwar was the obstacle to getting a deal. Now he’s not the obstacle. So this should bring them to take advantage of the window of opportunity to get a deal done, and fast,” said Ruby Chen, 55, the father of American-Israeli hostage Itay Chen.
Itay, a 19-year-old former Boy Scout who loved basketball, was kidnapped from a military base during the October attack, one of around 250 hostages taken that day. Hamas militants killed approximately 1,200 people in their coordinated assault across southern Israel. Chen mentioned that the Israeli military has hinted his son may have died in captivity, but he is uncertain about the validity of that information.
The assassination of Yahya Sinwar has been a top priority for the Israeli military since the Israel-Hamas war erupted. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Sinwar was killed in a chance encounter on Wednesday when a tank shell struck the building he was hiding in following a gunfight with Israeli soldiers. His death adds another layer of complexity to the hostage situation—about 100 hostages are still held in Gaza, and it is believed that a third of them may already be dead.
Ceasefire negotiations aimed at securing the release of the hostages have repeatedly faltered, leaving families frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for prioritizing military victories over the return of their loved ones. However, with Sinwar’s death, some families now feel there may be a rare chance for Netanyahu to shift focus.
“Mr. Netanyahu had a very dark legacy up to this day,” said Efrat Machikawa, 56, the niece of 80-year-old hostage Gadi Moses, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. “But the time is now, exactly now… Now is his chance to make sure all the hostages are coming back, the dead so they can have a proper burial and the living so they can be returned to their families.”
Netanyahu has been criticized for his refusal to agree to one of Hamas’ core demands in earlier negotiations—Israel’s full withdrawal of troops from the Gaza Strip at the war’s end. Sinwar had been a fierce advocate of this precondition. With him now out of the equation, hostage families hope that both Netanyahu and Hamas may soften their positions.
In a speech on Thursday, Netanyahu stressed that Sinwar’s death did not signal the end of the conflict. However, he hinted that the assassination could potentially open doors for a deal, calling the return of the hostages his “supreme obligation” and offering immunity to Hamas fighters who “put down their weapons and leave our hostages.”
For some families, Netanyahu’s recent statements suggest a more genuine commitment to the hostages’ return. “Before now, he was always aggressive, talking about how we needed to annihilate everyone from Hamas. Now he seems more dedicated, talking about returning the hostages as his own personal mission,” said Ricardo Grichener, uncle of 23-year-old hostage Omer Wenkert.
Wenkert, who suffers from colitis, requires daily medication, and his family fears for his survival under such dire conditions. A former hostage who was held with Wenkert described the dismal situation inside Gaza’s tunnels, where hostages live in total darkness, sleep on the sand, and are given minimal food and water—three dates a day and half a bottle of water every two days.
“Time is of the essence,” Grichener said. “After 12 months held in nonhuman conditions, we are afraid that our loved ones will not survive. Especially after Sinwar’s death, we don’t know who is controlling the guards. We don’t know if there will be any retaliation against the hostages. We need a deal now.”
As Israel continues its operations in Gaza and Hezbollah’s activities in Lebanon escalate, the families of the remaining hostages are pressing harder than ever for immediate action. They hope that Sinwar’s death, though a significant military victory for Israel, may finally shift the political landscape enough to bring their loved ones home.
