The Israeli government and Hamas briefly ceased hostilities in Gaza in November.
With the painful memories of her teenaged daughter being taken hostage by masked Hamas gunmen still fresh, amid the deafening gunfire and the trail of death and destruction all around on October 7, last year, the mother of 19-year-old Naama Levy sought to draw the world's attention to her distress, pleading that the global community moves mountains to get her home safe at the earliest.
Speaking to ANI, Ayelet Levy Shachar, the mother of the 19-year-old, who continues to be in the captivity of Hamas terrorists, said her daughter is being held near the Gaza Strip, adding that in a video clip shared by the terror group, Naama was purportedly seen being "dragged by her hair".
"My name is Doctor Ayelet Levy Shachar. I'm the mother of Nama Levi. She is a 19-year-old teenager, who was among the many civilians held hostage and kidnapped subsequently by Hamas terrorists in the immediate aftermath of the attacks of October 7. She was abducted in southern Israel, near the Gaza Strip. She was staying there at the time till she was taken. We saw a video clip of her being abducted that morning...it was one of the first such clips to be released by Hamas. In the clip, she was seen being dragged by her hair. She was walking barefoot, her pyjamas soaked in blood. She had sustained injuries in her leg and was handcuffed," the mother recalled.
"She may still be injured in captivity, but we know that she is alive and on her feet. It's been over six months now that she's being held by these terrorists. My message to the world would be: just spare some thought for this bright, young girl. She could be your daughter, your friend, or anyone. They brought harm to a girl, who believes in peace and only doing good in this world. Just keep her in your prayers and help us draw the world's attention to her plight. The global community needs to come forward and help us bring her home," she added.
Another distressed relative, Marcello, whose son-in-law was also taken hostage by Hamas, said he doesn't have any word of the latter's fate or whereabouts. He earnestly called on his homeland to bring the ongoing war with Hamas to an end at the earliest and ensure the safe release of all the hostages.
"My son-in-law, his daughter and her beloved were taken on October 7. Till today, we don't have a clue on their whereabouts or fates. Are there any signs of life? None. The last 188 days (since they were abducted) have been extremely stressful and nightmarish for us. My son-in-law has a chronic disease and we don't know if he is getting his medications. We don't even know what state he is in now. We can only hope and pray that they will be back here with us soon. He has four daughters, the last of whom hasn't even seen him yet," Marcello told ANI.
"I am asking anyone, everyone, to help us bring these 133 people--who are still being held in Gaza, home. After 188 days (of the abductions and the Israel-Hamas war), I believe that the time has come to put an end to the hostilities once and for all and ensure the safe release of all the hostages. They have homes and families. That's what I hope will happen now," he added.
Meanwhile, Hamas said it was unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages needed for the first phase of a ceasefire deal, according to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the discussions, raising fears that more hostages may be dead than are publicly known, the New York Times reported.
A senior Israeli official said the claim by Hamas that they were unable to identify the 40 hostages has been relayed to his homeland, the NYT stated in its report, adding that a top Hamas official said the terror group informed the mediators, currently involved in negotiations for a ceasefire, of the same.
The Israeli official said his Hamas counterpart requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the ongoing negotiations, the report added.
The assertion raised fears that more hostages might be dead than previously believed and came as talks between Hamas and Israel stalled amid disagreements over the permanency of a cease-fire, the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza and other issues, the NYT reported.
International negotiators have proposed an initial six-week ceasefire during which Hamas would release a first group of 40 hostages--including women, elderly, unwell hostages and five female Israeli soldiers--in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons as well as other demands.
Further, according to the New York Times report, Israeli officials believe that about 130 hostages are still in Gaza, and Israeli intelligence officers have determined that at least 30 of them have died in captivity.
It was not immediately clear if Israel would now demand that young men and soldiers be included among the first 40 captives, the report stated, adding that those hostages had been expected to have to wait for a later phase of the deal.
The development came days after the Israeli military said it had recovered the body of an Israeli hostage who, like 240 others, was abducted during the October 7 Hamas attacks.
The Israeli government and Hamas briefly ceased hostilities in Gaza in November to allow for the release of around 100 hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, offering a measure of respite from the military operation.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)