The hostages
251 people were taken into Gaza — from infants to the elderly. Their return took 846 days.
Entire families taken captive
On that day 251 people were taken into the Gaza Strip: infants and children, women and men, the elderly, entire families, as well as foreign workers and citizens of dozens of countries. The youngest hostage was not yet a year old.
The abduction of so many civilians is unprecedented. They were returned gradually — through truces, exchanges, and military operations; the road home stretched over more than two years and was completed only in early 2026.
'Bring them home'
The yellow ribbon became a worldwide symbol of solidarity with the hostages and of hope for their return. It is tied to trees and bags, worn as a pin, and raised on 'Bring Them Home' signs.
A Sabbath table set with empty chairs, posters with the faces and ages of the abducted, a counter of the days in captivity — all of it is a way of not letting the world forget: behind every symbol is a living person awaited at home.
The road home — 846 days
A waiting that lasted years
The hostages were held in Gaza in the harshest conditions, often in tunnels. Some were freed in the first truce in November 2023, others in the deals of 2025; some were rescued by the military, and the bodies of the dead were returned gradually.
After 846 days, by January 2026, all 251 had come home — the living and the dead. For Israeli society the return of each one was a moral duty: 'until the last one returns.'
The essentials, briefly
On Saturday morning, the festival of Simchat Torah, fighters of Hamas and other groups broke out of Gaza into southern Israel, attacking towns, kibbutzim, and a music festival. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
According to various sources, about 1,200 people were killed that day and 251 were taken into Gaza. It was the bloodiest day in Israel's history and the largest murder of Jews since the Holocaust.
Supernova was an open-air music festival near Kibbutz Re'im. During the attack 378 people were killed there (344 civilians and 34 security personnel) and 44 were abducted; today the site holds a memorial.
The yellow ribbon is a symbol of solidarity with the hostages and of hope for their return home, part of the international Bring Them Home movement.
Yes. They were freed in several stages — in the November 2023 truce, in the 2025 deals, and through military operations. By January 2026, after 846 days, all 251 had returned home — the living and the bodies of the dead.
A square in Tel Aviv (Kikar HaHatufim) that became a center of remembrance and support for the families: installations, a long table set with empty places, photographs, and a counter of the days in captivity.