The mother of an Israeli man taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 says she still does not know if her son is dead or alive, but has 'real hope' that US President Donald Trump's peace plan will bring the return of all the hostages held in Gaza. Herut Nimrodi told BBC News she was 'fearing the worst' for her son Tamir, a non-combat soldier, but she was clinging to hope that 'he's still hanging on' two years after his abduction. She said he was the only Israeli hostage whose family had not been told if they were alive or dead.
The peace plan, proposed by President Trump, has been gaining momentum, with indirect talks now under way between Hamas and Israel to end the war and return the hostages. 'They have been trying to create an agreement for a while but it didn't take off. This time it feels different,' Ms Nimrodi said. 'There is real hope that this is the one, this is the last deal.'
She emphasized the importance of releasing all hostages - living and dead - in the initial phase of the plan. 'This is huge, this is a blessing for us,' she declared. 'It's urgent to release the hostages - those that are still alive, and even the ones that have passed. We have to release them so the families have some kind of closure. Even the families that got the message that their loved ones are deceased, they don't accept it because they need proof.'
Tamir is one of 47 hostages kidnapped on 7 October who remain in Gaza - 20 of them are believed still to be alive. The last time she saw her son was in a video of his abduction posted on social media on 7 October 2023, when her youngest daughter alerted her that Tamir was being taken. 'He was terrified,' she recalled, highlighting the emotional toll it has taken on her family. The last communication she had with Tamir was a text message just before his abduction.
Ms Nimrodi has actively campaigned for the release of hostages, participating in rallies and wearing a T-shirt with her son's photo during recent protests in Tel Aviv. She conveyed her belief that now is the time for action, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the hostages home. Two years on, her hope continues to battle her despair, as she grapples daily with the trauma of her son's abduction.
The peace plan, proposed by President Trump, has been gaining momentum, with indirect talks now under way between Hamas and Israel to end the war and return the hostages. 'They have been trying to create an agreement for a while but it didn't take off. This time it feels different,' Ms Nimrodi said. 'There is real hope that this is the one, this is the last deal.'
She emphasized the importance of releasing all hostages - living and dead - in the initial phase of the plan. 'This is huge, this is a blessing for us,' she declared. 'It's urgent to release the hostages - those that are still alive, and even the ones that have passed. We have to release them so the families have some kind of closure. Even the families that got the message that their loved ones are deceased, they don't accept it because they need proof.'
Tamir is one of 47 hostages kidnapped on 7 October who remain in Gaza - 20 of them are believed still to be alive. The last time she saw her son was in a video of his abduction posted on social media on 7 October 2023, when her youngest daughter alerted her that Tamir was being taken. 'He was terrified,' she recalled, highlighting the emotional toll it has taken on her family. The last communication she had with Tamir was a text message just before his abduction.
Ms Nimrodi has actively campaigned for the release of hostages, participating in rallies and wearing a T-shirt with her son's photo during recent protests in Tel Aviv. She conveyed her belief that now is the time for action, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the hostages home. Two years on, her hope continues to battle her despair, as she grapples daily with the trauma of her son's abduction.
