Agony as hostage families spend second holiday season without their loved ones

Or Levy’s brother Michael is a tall, kind man with a weather-beaten smile.

Since the 7 October Hamas attack on Nova music festival, Michael has lost sleep over the abduction of his brother, the killing of his sister-in-law Einav and the delicate care needed to help his three-year-old nephew Almog survive without both his parents.

This is the second Hanukkah his family is marking without Or and Einav.

One that is even more painful and strained than the last.

“Or in Hebrew means ‘light’ and Hanukkah is a celebration of light – so for us, it is even more symbolic,” he says.

He shows a video of Or lighting Hanukkah candles with Einav and Almog two years ago. It was Almog’s first and last Hanukkah with his parents.

“I have three little girls but it won’t be the same. Hanukkah is a happy holiday – you light candles, you sing and eat all sorts of things but for us it is not a real holiday without Or.”

Michael is the eldest of his three brothers and Or is the youngest.

As time drags on, the lack of proof of life is draining his hope.

“Unfortunately, the only thing we know is that Or was kidnapped alive and wasn’t injured but other than that and the assumption from the army that he is alive, we don’t know anything,” he says.

Ninety-six hostages are thought to be being held in Gaza, but as the war there continues and Israeli airstrikes pummel densely-populated areas, only two thirds of them are believed to be alive.

Faces of 96 hostages who still haven’t returned home to Israel

“We are so close as families, some of those families became my family, so I felt like the hostages are my family as well. When you hear that 1..2..6..20 [hostages] were killed though they were alive, it kills you. I can’t even describe how bad I felt.”

And in all the waiting, bad news and uncertainty, they carefully support Or’s three-year-old son.

“We have to tell him the truth. We asked psychologists what to do, what to say and how to react.

“They told us we have to say that his mum won’t come back because Einav was murdered on that awful day. That his dad – my brother – is missing and we are looking for him and doing everything we can to bring him back.”

Rumours were circulating that a deal between Israel and Hamas would be secured before Christmas/Hanukkah.

Israeli families of hostages and the relatives of Palestinians in Gaza felt grave disappointment and concern as the time frame closed.

In the Old City, we met the former hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin, who played a key role in securing the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.

From where he stands, the forecast is grim.

“I like to remind people that the Israeli soldier that everyone remembers was released in 2011 was in captivity for five years and four months. There was a deal on the table six months after he was abducted in December 2006,” says Gershon.

He adds: “That deal remained on the table for another five years until the people in charge on both sides were ready to make the deal. They came to a point when Hamas and Netanyahu was prime minister, then also were ready to make a deal and that’s when it was done. The moment that Netanyahu signals he’s ready for a deal, it will happen because Hamas wants this war to end.”

Gershon strongly believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet given the mandate to his senior officials for the hostages to be brought home and it is very likely that some of the hostages will never be found because they might be buried underneath the rubble of buildings Israel has bombed.

For Michael, the return of hostages like his brother must be the starting point for the war in Gaza to end.

“This is not political in any way. I don’t hate Palestinians, I don’t want people in Gaza to suffer but in order for this to end for both sides, the hostages must come back.”