Hostage Families Hope Weekly Central Park Rally Is Final One

Hundreds of people lined Central Park West on Manhattan's Upper West Side on Sunday morning for what organizers of the "NYC March to Bring Them Home" hope will be their final rally before the remaining Hamas-held hostages are released.

"This morning, we will gather at the park for what we hope will be our very last gathering with the hostages still in captivity," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum told supporters in a WhatsApp message Sunday morning. 

"This fight is over only when the hostages are free and safe in Israel."

The weekly marches have been held since Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, murdered about 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 others to Gaza. 

Forty-eight hostages remain, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

At Sunday's rally, attendees waved American and Israeli flags and held signs bearing the names and faces of those still missing. 

The mood was a mix of hope and exhaustion, as the hostages' apparent release is hours away.

Nogah Rotstein, a cousin of hostages Gali and Ziv Berman, who are 26-year-old twin brothers, told the crowd:

"Each and every one of you played a part in supporting us and helping us reach this point," 

"Thank you so much for showing that we're all connected. May we see them all home soon."

Gali and Ziv were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

The brothers were reportedly separated early in captivity, while their older sibling, Liran, has since become a leading voice in the campaign to free the hostages.

Under the peace deal led by President Donald Trump, the 20 hostages believed to still be alive will be released by Monday morning in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. 

The deal also includes a phased withdrawal of Israeli Defense Forces from parts of Gaza.