Hostage command center shuts down, 3 captives remain in Gaza

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum says it will largely end its work as nearly all captives have been returned.

By World Israel News Staff

The main organization representing the families of the hostages kidnapped on October 7th announced that it ending its activities, saying that the return of nearly all captives no longer justifies the existence of a formal advocacy group.

“The official struggle is over,” said Lior Chorev, head of strategy at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel. “There’s a hostage deal, and the U.S. and Israel stand behind it.”

Chorev noted that “there are three hostages left, and it’s unclear how much time it will take to bring them home.”

He added that although the Forum will cease its official operations, volunteers will continue supporting the families of the remaining hostages. The organization’s remaining funds will be used to assist those families.

The Forum, created in the aftermath of October 7th to represent the families of the some 250 people who were kidnapped by Hamas and other Gaza-based terror groups, recently held what will likely be one of its final protests in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening.

Demonstrators called for the return of the bodies of Israelis Dror Or and Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, as well as Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak.

In October, Israel and Hamas agreed to a Trump administration–brokered ceasefire that secured the release of 20 living hostages and the return of the 28 bodies of deceased captives held by Hamas.

So far, Hamas has returned 25 bodies.

Shira Gvili, whose brother Ran — a police officer in an elite counterterrorism unit — was killed in battle against invading Hamas terrorists, said she understood the Forum’s decision to shut down.

“You can’t have an entire building for three families,” Gvili told Channel 12 News. “The struggle is more intimate now.”

She added that her family was grateful for the “loving embrace” the organization offered over the past two years.

Elad Or, whose brother Dror was killed during the Kibbutz Be’eri massacre, said the army had reassured him that his brother would not be left behind.

He told Ynet that the difficulty in retrieving the bodies of Or and Gvili stemmed from logistical challenges, as they are believed to be in a location difficult to access without heavy extraction equipment.