Hostages and Missing Families Forum

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The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum (Hebrew: מטה המשפחות להחזרת החטופים והנעדרים) is a body established by the families of the abductees who were kidnapped to Gaza as part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and by the families of the missing persons as a result of this attack. The forum aims to return the abductees from Gaza, to locate those missing from the attack, and to handle medical, legal and other matters related to the abduction and its consequences. It is a group that represents the hostages and kibbutz community and makes announcements of relevant news such as the deaths confirmed of the hostages.^[1][2]

Within days of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the families of at least 341 missing Israelis, who had either been kidnapped to Gaza or whose disposition was unknown, started a WhatsApp group to share information and organize. Three initiatives, led by former Israeli politician and communications professional Ronen Tzur, Haim Rubinstein, and Dudi Zalamanovitch united as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum by 13 October. Tzur was the group's director, Rubinstein was the spokesman, and Zalmanovitch donated office space.^[3] Tzur headed the Forum until he stepped down in February 2024.^[4][5] The Forum, along with most individual relatives of hostages, have attempted to avoid partisan politics or confrontation with Israel's right-wing coalition government.^[6]

During the first week, the group organized a fundraising drive that raised $500,000 and organized a meeting attended by 500 family members with Gal Hirsch, the Israeli government official coordinating hostage affairs. The group launched the hashtag #BringThemHomeNow.^[3] The Forum recruited hundreds of volunteers in Israel and the United States, including psychologists, social media and communications professionals, former hostages, and former government officials such as David Meidan, who was involved in negotiating the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.^[3]

In February 2024, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum filed a war crimes complaint against Hamas at the International Court of Justice. The complaint included charges against Hamas leaders of "kidnapping, crimes of sexual violence, torture and other serious allegations".^[7] The Forum was awarded the Genesis Prize, also referred to as the Jewish Nobel Prize, alongside the JAFI Fund for Victims of Terror; Lev Echad; NATAL-The Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center; and OneFamily-Overcoming Terror Together.^[8]

• Kidnapped from Israel
• International reactions to the Israel–Hamas war

• Official website

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