Released hostages and the families of those still held captive by Hamas reacted Tuesday to Israel's renewed attacks in Gaza, with many expressing fears as to what the attack will mean for the safety of the hostages and the possibility of bringing them home.
"The return to fighting means that the State of Israel decided to give up on the hostages," Udi Goren, whose cousin Tal Haimi's body is still being held by Hamas, told The Jerusalem Post.
The state is making the wrong decision by not bringing the hostages back above other goals, he added.
"The direct meaning of going back to fighting is that The State of Israel is unable, or does not want to bring the hostages back, that its priorities are wrong, and that it is willing to take the risk of hostages being killed and losing slain hostages, and loss of soldiers' lives in pursuit of some unclear goal that cannot be achieved in the near term," he said.
"As we feared, [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, in order to preserve his coalition and strengthen his rule, launched an attack on Hamas in Gaza—not to bring back the hostages, but to bring Ben Gvir back into the government," Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is still held by Hamas, told the Post.
"He prefers to sacrifice the remaining hostages for the sake of his corrupt rule," he added.
"He will waste millions of shekels to protect his son in Miami but won’t lift a finger or take any risks to save my son Nimrod who has been in the tunnels of Gaza for 17 months along with at least 23 other hostages who are suffering and in life-threatening danger."
Mor Korngold, whose brother Tal Shoham was returned to Israel as part of the most recent hostage deal, echoed the sentiment that Israel is choosing to sacrifice the hostages.
"The prime minister and cabinet chose knowingly to sacrifice the hostages in the [Gaza] Strip," he said on Instagram.
"A day of mourning, a day of losing our values - choosing to sacrifice in return for revenge."
"Let the last one turn out the light," he said, making reference to a well-known phrase in Israel regarding mass emigration in 1966 and 1967, capturing the sense that the country has failed.
"I woke up to this morning's news feeling worried, anxious, and outraged," Ofri Bibas, sister of returned hostage Yarden Bibas whose family was killed in captivity, told Israel Hayom on Tuesday.
"Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were, in retrospect, among the first hostages who were taken alive and later murdered in captivity," she said, adding that "expressions of condolences and apologies from government ministers are meaningless without taking responsibility, admitting the mistake, and changing course."
"The prime minister chose not to negotiate the second phase of an agreement that had already been signed," she said, adding that "the prime minister chose to resume fighting. The prime minister chose to sacrifice the living hostages and bury the fallen hostages a second time—perhaps forever," she added.
"Forty-one hostages were taken alive and returned as bodies. Military pressure does not bring back hostages; it kills them and makes the fallen disappear. Only a diplomatic agreement, only an end to the war, will bring everyone back."
'Hostages have been sacrificed'
The father of Matan Angrest, still held in Hamas captivity, also expressed fear following the return to fighting, saying "We are in utter fear of what will happen now to our Matan. Everyone has seen the videos of him and the dire condition he is in," according to Ynet.
"I am mainly worried about the state of the country—everything here is falling apart. I call on you, Mr. Prime Minister—come to your senses and return to the second phase [of the hostage deal] as soon as possible."
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held by Hamas, spoke from near the Gaza border on Tuesday, saying that "Matan is alive and he will come back alive."
"If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to sacrifice my child, I will also be the victim," she said. "I won't sit at home waiting for the officer [who would announce that Matan was killed] to knock on my door."
She called on the prime minister to "decide where you want to bury Matan Zangauker - make sure he gets a plot near the nation's greats at Mount Herzl or here at Nir Oz, the place you don't dare visit."
Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat was killed in captivity alongside five other young hostages who survived nearly 11 months, also commented on the return to war.
"Why are we going back to fighting? The answer in 10 seconds:" he wrote on X/Twitter, sharing a video in which he said, "It is more important to Netanyahu bring [Itamar] Ben-Gvir back to the government than to bring back 59 hostages."
Moshe Emilio Lavi, whose brother-in-law Omri Miran is still held by Hamas tweeted a broken heart emoji, and was retweeted by Dickmann, freed captive Noa Argamani, and Miran's wife Lishay Miran-Lavi.
— Noa Argamani (@ArgamaniNoa) March 18, 2025
"The greatest fear of the families, the hostages, and the citizens of Israel has come true. The government of Israel has chosen to abandon the hostages," said the Hostage Family Forum, which represents dozens of families of hostages.
"We are shocked, outraged, and deeply worried about the deliberate destruction of the process to bring our loved ones back from Hamas’s horrific captivity."
"The return to fighting before the last hostage is brought back will come at the cost of the 59 hostages still in Gaza, who can still be saved and brought back," the forum added.
The forum called for an emergency protest Tuesday to call on the government to prioritize the safety of the hostages and bringing them home.
They also demanded a meeting with senior Israeli officials, saying that the reason previous meeting requests had been denied was evidently that the plan to attack Gaza and "blow up" the ceasefire was already in place.
The Tikva forum, which represents some hostage families and has advocated for more military pressure, welcomed the return to fighting.
"Hamas will never return all the hostages willingly. Only massive military pressure, a complete blockade including cutting off electricity and water, and occupation of territories that will lead to Hamas' collapse will cause them to beg for a ceasefire and a deal that will return ALL the hostages together, in one stage," the forum said.