"I'm not prepared to give up yet": The captives remaining in Gaza
"She shouldn't be forced to anticipate the next agreement, simply because she isn't someone's mother or grandmother," Or Neko Maymon posts in Hebrew on Facebook.
The discussion is about Inbar Haiman, a 27-year-old street artist and art student, who happens to be the sister of his partner.
Inbar was abducted by Hamas during the Supernova music event in Israel on October 7. A few days later, she appeared in a hostage video shared on social media, showing signs of harm with blood on her face.
She is among the 16 females that BBC Verify has pinpointed as remaining hostages in Gaza, after a week-long cessation of hostility between Israel and Hamas. This brief halt in the conflict led to Hamas consenting to liberate 110 captives, which included 78 women and children, in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians held in Israeli detention centers.
Israel's efforts to free female captives have alternately kindled and extinguished expectations for the relatives of the women who remain captive.
Ever since Inbar was abducted, her loved ones have been advocating for her freedom, utilizing the hashtag #FreePink which is a nod to her pseudonym as a street artist.
"Three days ago, Or penned in a post, "I'm truly unprepared for you to strip away my anticipation of Inbar's return."
In November, Noam Alon, who is 24 years old and Inbar's boyfriend, staged a 10-day camp-out in front of the main military base in Tel Aviv. He was demanding that the Israeli government take greater action to ensure Inbar's freedom.
During the attacks on October 7, Hamas and five other Palestinian militant groups seized 237 individuals. According to BBC News, it has been confirmed that 115 of these hostages are still in Gaza. However, a spokesman for the Israeli government claims that 135 individuals are still being held captive. Since there is no official list of hostages available, the BBC had to independently verify the names.
The remaining captives include no less than 16 females and 95 males. This tally encompasses French-Mexican individual Orión Hernández Radoux, the partner of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old woman who lost her life subsequent to her abduction from the Supernova music event.
Shortly after the festival assault, a video started spreading rapidly on social media, displaying a young woman's body being shown off in the streets. Shani's family recognized her in the video by her unique dreadlocks and tattoos.
As October drew to a close, Ricarda, Shani's mom, revealed that the Israeli army had informed her about the discovery of a fragment of her daughter's skull. However, Shani's remains are still missing.
In November, her partner Orión marked his 31st birthday while in confinement.
"Today marks Orión's birthday," family friend Gabriel De la Fuente posted in Spanish on Facebook, "it's been a month since his abduction, praying for his safe return."
It is assumed that Orión was kidnapped during the festival, and the Sun newspaper reports that it has viewed menacing texts written in Arabic sent from his phone.
Every evening at 7pm, his loved ones gather for prayer in a WhatsApp group, designed to provide mutual support.
"Gabriel pens that our collective spiritual power and assistance, which your soul currently requires, can only be achieved through joint prayers, regardless of your location."
Gil Dickman, whose cousin Carmel Gat has been held captive since October 7th, mentions that families awaiting the return of their loved ones have significantly helped each other cope.
"He conveyed to the BBC News channel that they evolved into a vast family composed of multiple families. He felt as if, when their kin are being freed, it's as though his own are too."
Carmel, who is 39 years old and works as an occupational therapist in Tel Aviv, was visiting her parents in Be'eri on October 7th.
Yarden Roman-Gat, her sister-in-law, was set free by Hamas on Wednesday and was able to rejoin her husband and their three-year-old daughter.
"Gil admits that he had doubts about Yarden's survival until he actually saw her."
Gil describes how the German-Israeli woman, aged 36, her spouse, and daughter successfully escaped from the kidnappers' vehicle close to the border between Gaza and Israel.
The family started to flee as they were being fired upon. Yarden recognized she couldn't keep up the pace, so she handed her daughter over to her husband and gave herself up to ensure the rest of the family could get away safely.
"Gil expressed immense joy upon seeing her,"
However, now that the truce has ended, Gil's fear for his cousin Carmel, who hasn't returned home yet, is escalating.
"Gil expresses deep concern over the termination of the peace agreement," he says. "On a personal level, I'm extremely anxious for her."
Numerous individuals with relatives still held captive in Gaza are utilizing social media platforms to advocate for their liberation, express their emotions, and provide mutual consolation in their sorrow.
The American captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin's mother has been sharing videos where she discusses her son on their family's Bring Hersh Home Facebook page.
"Rachel shared her experience from last night with her 17,000 Facebook followers on Wednesday. She woke up at 2:13 a.m. and began reflecting on the extent of Hersh's suffering," she said.
Based on accounts from individuals who saw the incident, Rachel found out that Hersh had his arm partially amputated due to a grenade blast prior to his abduction.
A 23-year-old Californian was reportedly seen by onlookers being transported via a truck along with several others who were also abducted from the Supernova festival, as per the information relayed by his family to the Los Angeles Times. Eyewitnesses claimed that he was severely hurt and not responsive, with his most recent phone location indicating he was close to the Gaza border.
Rachel emphasized in her recent video that it's crucial for him to return home to begin adapting to a completely different lifestyle than what he was used to.
"It's just another motivation for us to persistently and relentlessly battle for his return."
Further information provided by Emma Pengelly.
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