As remains of three hostages recovered, families hope for more rescues

“On one hand, it gives us hope—they’re finding remains, we’re getting closer and, with God’s help, Inbar will be next,” Hanna Cohen, the aunt of murdered hostage Inbar Haiman, told JNS on Sunday.

“On the other hand, every hostage that comes back also deepens the concern and fear for those who are still missing,” she added.

Cohen expressed mixed emotions following news that the Israel Defense Forces had recovered the remains of Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano and Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson. All three were abducted and killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.

Fifty hostages remain in the Gaza Strip. Jerusalem believes that at least 20 of the captives are still alive.

While Cohen is genuinely happy for those whose loved ones have been returned, the pain for her own family remains profound. “I am very happy for them, truly—but at the same time, I feel deep sorrow for Inbar, for her parents, and for all of us. It’s heartbreaking that we still haven’t managed to bring her home to be buried in Israel.”

Inbar Haiman, 27, was abducted by Hamas during the Oct. 7 massacre at the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im. In December 2023, the IDF confirmed that she had been murdered in captivity. Her body remains held in Gaza.

“In light of today’s rescues, we feel joy for the families who can finally close this painful chapter of uncertainty—but we remain trapped in our own sorrow,” said Cohen. “I wouldn’t wish on anyone the agony that families of murdered hostages endure—it’s hell.”

“We know she’s gone, but until her body is returned, we can’t be certain. We can’t mourn her properly, we can’t bury her,” Cohen continued. “I can’t help her mother and father begin to rebuild because the circle hasn’t closed. It’s a gaping wound. The pain is immense and indescribable.”

On Oct. 7, Hamas also targeted the home of Silvia Cunio in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with the homes of her four children. Two of her sons, David and Ariel, were abducted during the assault and have been held in Gaza since then.

“There is always optimism,” Cunio told JNS on Sunday. “Optimism and hope are the last things I will lose because I cannot live without it.”

“I know my sons are alive. I feel them and I want them home. Enough,” says Silvia Cunio.

She likewise expressed mixed emotions—gratitude that some families have been able to bury murdered hostages and find closure, but sorrow that her children remain in captivity with no clear path to their release.

“I feel happiness but also sadness that the murdered hostages have returned, but my children remain there alive, and we are not finding them and there is still no hostage agreement,” Cunio said. “There is talk but nothing is happening.”

She questioned whether Israel’s military campaign against Iran has had any impact on Hamas and voiced a desire to see meaningful progress toward a comprehensive deal that would secure the release of all hostages at once.

“I don’t know whether Israel’s actions in Iran are weakening Hamas or not,” she said. “I would have wanted to start hearing discussion about an inclusive deal that brings everyone back at once. That’s what’s most important for me as a mother who wants her children home.”

Despite the fear and uncertainty that have intensified during the war with the Islamic Republic, Cunio emphasized the enduring solidarity of the Israeli public.

“There are a lot of people who call me and that gives me strength,” she said. “Together, we will succeed. With the war with Iran, people are scared to go out and rightfully so, but there are online meetings to continue to raise awareness for the hostages.”

“I know my sons are alive,” she added. “I feel them, and I want them home.”