More than 60 living hostages, and the bodies of about 35 others who are believed to be dead, are still in Gaza, according to the Israeli authorities.
The families of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip have spent 12 months in a kind of suspended animation, trapped in the amber of last Oct. 7 while the rest of the world spins forward to new if related crises: Iranian missile attacks, targeted assassinations of militant leaders and the outbreak of war in Lebanon.
Through it all, more than 60 living hostages, and the bodies of about 35 others who are believed to be dead, are still in Gaza, according to the Israeli authorities. About 250 people were taken hostage in the Hamas-led attacks last October.
The remaining hostages have become public figures in absentia, and by extension their loved ones have gained a sort of fame as well. That has made their days both horrifying and strange.
They have spoken at rallies in Israel and the United States. They have attended the State of the Union address in Washington and American political conventions, and traveled with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. They have met American officials and Hollywood celebrities eager to show their support.
“I personally met Jerry Seinfeld,” said Tomer Keshet. He is a cousin of Yarden Bibas, whose family became instantly known last October after images of his wife, Shiri, and red-haired children, 3-year-old Ariel and 9-month-old Kfir, being kidnapped during the Hamas-led attacks were widely shared online.
“I sit in a room with people I have seen only on TV and it is surreal,” said Mr. Keshet, who also met with Hillary Clinton in Washington.
