Emotional Hanukkah
Light Over Darkness: Families of "The Beautiful Six" Hostages Speak Out on Captivity Footage |WATCH
Families of "The Beautiful Six" hostages shared an emotional response to footage showing their loved ones lighting Hanukkah candles in horrific captivity conditions, emphasizing their strength and demanding accountability after they were murdered by Hamas terrorists.
Humanity Shines Through Terrorist Propaganda
The families of the six hostages, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lubanov, Almog Sarusi, and Carmel Gat, released a joint statement on Thursday after watching the harrowing footage found in the Gaza Strip. The videos documented the six over a period of months in captivity, including deeply emotional moments during the Hanukkah holiday.
The families expressed gratitude, saying, “The families of the Beautiful Six, Hersh, Carmel, Ori, Eden, Almog, and Alex, want to thank the people of Israel and the millions around the world who watched the harrowing footage of our loved ones with us. Lighting Hanukkah candles in that dark place captures the essence of the Jewish spirit, light prevailing over darkness.”
The footage shows these hostages, even when kept in horrific, hellish conditions, remaining true to their faith, praying, singing, and at times, breaking down in tears. In one heartbreaking moment, a voice is heard saying, “An emotional Hanukkah, huh?”
The families stressed that the videos, though filmed by Hamas terrorists as propaganda, failed in their intent. “Hamas filmed these videos as propaganda, but the humanity of the beautiful six shines through this footage. It is stronger than any terrorist organization," they declared. "These videos bear witness to evil and failure. The entire world must see our loved ones in these moments, their unity, strength, and humanity even in the darkest times. They were taken alive, they survived in captivity, and they should have come home alive,” a realization that is heartbreaking knowing they were later ruthlessly murdered by Hamas terrorists.
Moments of Faith and Hope
The recovered recordings captured intimate, poignant moments of defiance and normalcy. In one segment, a female hostage tells the group, “Make a wish, friends. Candles are the time.” Another hostage replies, “It’s always good to make wishes.” When one reflects on a wish from the past year, asking, “Did it come true? A year has already passed,” she answers, “Yes, it came true.” He responds, “May all your wishes come true for good.”
Other scenes show the captives trying to maintain religious law, asking a terrorist to light a candle for them while explaining the halakhic rule that Hanukkah candles themselves cannot be used for lighting the others. They were also seen managing a moment of lightness, eating a sufganiyah and joking, “A Roladin sufganiyah.”
A Call for Accountability and Action
The families concluded their statement with a solemn call for both justice and continued action. “Nothing will bring our loved ones back to life. Only bringing the truth to light, only genuine accountability at the national level, can bring justice and healing to all our hearts.”
They reminded the public that the mission is not over, urgently calling for the immediate return of the final missing captive, Ran Gvili. The families implored every family in Israel, when lighting their own Hanukkah candles, to remember their loved ones and all the families of the soldiers, the wounded, the hostages, the murdered, and the fallen “who will never light candles together again, families who have been waiting nearly 800 days for answers.”