Hundreds gathered Sunday in New York’s Central Park for a rally urging a continuation of the Gaza war hostage release-ceasefire deal until all captives have been returned to Israel.

Participants held Israeli flags and some American flags and wore yellow, representing the hostages’ plight, and orange, representing children Ariel and Kfir Bibas, redheaded brothers who were murdered in captivity and whose remains were finally returned to Israel on Thursday.

It came as the complex, three-phase deal’s fate remained uncertain, given mutual accusations of violations, a delay in completing the first stage, and a missed deadline for further negations on the second stage.

The rally, organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, in coordination with local Jewish groups, included an address by freed hostage Ilana Gritzewsky, who was released in November 2023, during a previous deal, after 55 days of captivity.

Her boyfriend, Matan Zangauker, is still held captive.

The forum is the main non-government organization representing many families of hostages.

Gal Gilboa-Dalal and Ilay David also spoke, a day after their respective brothers, Guy and Evyatar, appeared in a Hamas propaganda clip, in which they were seen watching the release of other Israeli hostages........

© The Times of Israel