13-year-old released Israeli hostage Yagil: 'I need my father to celebrate my bar mitzvah with me'

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum made a public declaration on Saturday evening in light of the incident in which three hostages were mistakenly shot by IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip: "We are all in pain in the face of the tragedy, imagining the hope that was in their eyes before the terrible end. An Israeli plan for the release of the captives must be put forward."

Yagil Yaakov, 13, who was freed after 52 days of Hamas captivity, reenacted the Islamic Jihad propaganda video released in early November, saying: "I miss my dad like crazy and also all the friends from the kibbutz who are still in Gaza. I want to tell Bibi Netanyahu that I really need my dad at home. I’m waiting for him to celebrate my bar mitzvah. The more time passes, the greater the danger that he and all the friends there are in. We don’t leave hostages behind."

Raz Ben Ami, who was released from captivity, said: "Ten days ago I took part in the meeting with members of the cabinet, we implored them that the military operation could harm the hostages – and we were right. Every day, every hour, every minute is critical. The passivity of the War Cabinet will not lead to the release of the hostages alive. I am begging you to return the hostages alive, what are you waiting for?"

Daniel Aloni, who was released from Hamas captivity, called on the cabinet from "Hostage Square."

"With every day that passes, the list of hostages is getting shorter and shorter. They are being killed in cold blood. I beg and demand from the War Cabinet – initiate and offer a deal for the release of the hostages. Bring them home now!" 

Danny, the brother of Yitzhak Algert, who is in captivity stated: "We had to plead with them, chase after them to Jerusalem. We decided that if they don’t come to us, we will come to them. If we don’t receive a response from the cabinet or the prime minister by tonight, if we don’t see a deal being developed – we will move our activity from our headquarters to Begin Gate in the Kiriya."

Noam Peri, the daughter of the 80-year-old hostage Haim Peri from Kibbutz Nir Oz, said: "We ask the chief of staff, the head of the Mossad and the head of Shin Bet to work day and night to restart the negotiations; we have the same request of the cabinet members. We heard from the prime minister and the cabinet members that the conditions have not yet matured and the military pressure will bring the deal, meanwhile, we are receiving more hostages as corpses."

"Our request is: Don't ignore us and present a plan now," Noa continued. "In the meantime, we receive no responses nor answers, only dead hostages. That is why we are saying: If we do not receive a response, if we do not see that the cabinet is working towards a plan today, we will move to be in front of your eyes the whole time at the Begin Gate, every time they come to a meeting, they will not be able to see anything except us."

Ruby Hen, the father of Itay, who was kidnapped to Gaza: "I landed yesterday from the United States, we went to meet with President Biden, the American secretary of state and very senior government officials. We thanked Biden for everything he is doing personally and what his government is doing. We couldn't have won a more supportive president."

He added: "It's easier to meet the President of the United States than the War Cabinet – are we out of our minds, to put it mildly?"