Families of last remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza fear that ‘the world is forgetting’

The families of two of the last remaining Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip worry that “the world is forgetting” about them — as Israel comes under more pressure to end the war over the desperate humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory.

There are still 20 living hostages, along with the remains of up to 50 others, in Gaza, according to Israel.

“I’m very worried about it, just seeing how public interest drops, really drops,” said Ilay David, brother of hostage Evyatar David.

“I think the world is forgetting. The common people are forgetting. It’s sad,” he added.

He believes that the world must not forget what started the war — and what could easily end it.

“[The hostages] are the reason why the war hasn’t stopped yet, because if Hamas released them, the suffering would end,” he said.

“And it’s hard that Hamas is using the suffering of its own people to manipulate us, to manipulate the Western world, to manipulate Americans.”

He added: “They are holding hostage not only my brother, not only 50 hostages – they hold the Gazans hostage, and they are cruel, and they make our life miserable, and they make the Middle East a miserable place. So they are the ones to blame.”

Hamas kidnapped 251 people during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. Scores of hostages were later freed in the subsequent exchange deals and rescue missions that have taken place over the last 21 months.

But as Israel ramps up its military operations in Gaza to eliminate Hamas and free the remaining captives, reports have emerged that Hamas has issued orders to its fighters to kill the hostages in the face of any attempted rescues.

President Trump has since warned that the US and Israel would have to act carefully to free the hostages to avoid any further tragedy.

Who are the remaining hostages?

The remaining living hostages, all of whom are male, vary from ages 21 to 85, with officials yet to publicly confirm their names.

Among the 30 hostages whose remains are still in Gaza are two Americans — Itay Chen, 19, and Omer Neutra, 22, both of whose families have ties to New York.

Where are the hostages located?

While Israel and US officials have not stated where exactly the hostages may be, the families of the captives believe many of them are located inside Deir al-Balah, a city within central Gaza that has been largely spared by the war.

A renewed air campaign and tank offensive in the city last week sparked concerns from the families that their loved ones could be in danger.

On Monday, President Trump revealed that the location of some of the hostages are known, but he called for caution over fears that the captives could be caught in the crossfire.

“We know where they have them in some cases,” Trump said in a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “You don’t want to go riding roughshod over that area because that means those hostages will be killed.”

What danger are hostages in?

While Israel has successfully carried out a handful of rescue missions during the 21-month-old war, the new orders allegedly sent out by Hamas to kill hostages to stop such missions have renewed fears in the West.

Israel has previously accused Hamas of brutally murdering hostages when IDF soldiers approached the safehouses. Such was the case with slain Israeli-American captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages who were found dead inside a tunnel last August.

Trump has said such outcomes cannot be allowed to happen again as he slammed any rhetoric that put the destruction of Hamas over the lives of the hostages.

“Now there are some people that would say, ‘Well that’s the price you pay,’ but we don’t like to say that,” he said. “We don’t want to say that. And I don’t think the people of Israel want to say that either.”

Fears for the hostages

As Israel faces more pressure to end the war over humanitarian concerns in Gaza, the families of hostages fear that the goal of freeing the last captives could fall by the wayside.

“There’s always this concern that policy makers will say there are only 50 hostages left, it is what it is, and we can’t solve this,” Moshe Emilio Lavi, the brother-in-law of hostage Omri Miran said.

He said if Israel is pressured the end the war too soon, “it might mean there won’t be a hostage deal to bring them home.”

David added: “There’s just a misunderstanding of the situation, and eventually it kills the hostages.

“It kills the hostages. It kills the chances to finish this war and bring them back and bring peace.”