In a night of grief and strength, bereaved families and relatives of hostages joined tens of thousands at the Western Wall for Selichot prayers, calling for healing and the return of captives.
Jerusalem’s Western Wall plaza was filled with tens of thousands of worshippers Thursday night for the fourth Selichot prayer gathering of the season, an event marked by both sorrow and solidarity.
Among those present were family members of hostage Matan Angrest, still held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as dozens of bereaved families from the “One Family” organization, representing communities from the Galilee to the Gaza envelope, Judea and Samaria, and the south.
The gathering reached a poignant climax when Shmuel Gez, father of the late Tze’ela Gez, recited the Kaddish from the main stage. The crowd responded with a resounding “Amen”, filling the ancient plaza with a powerful sense of unity in grief and prayer.
Tze’ela Gez, from Bruchin, was murdered in a shooting attack on her way to the delivery room. Her husband was wounded, and their unborn child, Ravid Chaim, delivered by emergency Cesarean, survived only two weeks.
Her mother, Galia, spoke of the pain and fragile strength she carried: “This is the third time I’ve left the house since my daughter was murdered. I’m always crying, and finally I had two hours where I was able not to cry. I have so much strength now.”
Throughout the night, worshippers prayed for the swift return of the hostages, the safety of IDF soldiers, the recovery of the wounded, and lasting peace and security for Israel.
