Israel hostage families' grassroots group becomes a powerful international lobbying force

The Hostages Families Forum, a group formed by relatives of Israelis abducted in the Gaza war, has evolved from a grassroots gathering in Tel Aviv into a major international lobbying network pressing for the return of those held in Gaza. The latest phase of its influence comes as the two-year conflict narrows to a moment of intensified diplomacy and public campaigning, with Ran Gvili—the last deceased hostage whose body has not yet been recovered—still listed among those missing.

Of the 251 hostages seized on 7 October 2023, 168 have been brought back alive from Gaza, eight have been rescued, and one remains deceased: Ran Gvili. His family and supporters continue to mark the day with prayers and candle-lighting, underscoring that the case remains unresolved even as others have been freed.

From an underground car park where relatives first gathered amid rocket fire to a central Tel Aviv office hub, the Hostages Families Forum adopted the slogan “Bring them home now” and built a broad network that expanded far beyond its early base. The movement drew tens of thousands of volunteers and included former Israeli diplomats, lawyers and security officials. Funded entirely by donations, it began to pay staff and used office space loaned by a high‑tech company, sustaining operations while families juggled trauma with advocacy. The forum divided its work between supporting families who had lost homes or loved ones and campaigning in Israel and around the world.

As November 2023 rolled in, a Qatar-mediated truce offered a pause in fighting that lasted a short while before hostilities resumed. In the ensuing months, the forum faced a shift in public mood and strategic pressures at home. In early 2024, with polls suggesting the public prioritized Hamas’s destruction over hostage returns, the forum brought in political strategist Lior Chorev as campaign manager. “As a civil society organisation, we could not impact whether or not there’s going to be a deal, but we could work hard on Israeli public opinion to ensure that if a deal came into place, there would be a sound civilian majority within the country,” Chorev said.

Gaza remained devastated as the war continued, and the forum pressed its case through demonstrations, concerts, art installations and civil disruptions. Diplomatic teams helped keep the hostages at the center of attention, and the group’s headquarters came to function as a de facto foreign ministry for families seeking to influence foreign governments. “They kept going 24/7 for two years,” Times of Israel political correspondent Tal Schneider remarked, noting that the forum’s reach extended beyond Israel’s borders as visiting officials and foreign media regularly attended.

By late 2024 and into 2025, the forum’s work increasingly targeted international audiences. Some members traveled to Washington and European capitals to present the families’ case, while others coordinated with regional mediators and allied governments. The group’s efforts helped frame a broader diplomatic push across borders, culminating in a Gaza deal brokered as a new U.S. administration took office in January 2025. The first stage of that deal returned 33 hostages—eight of them dead—in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, plus five Thai hostages. A ceasefire was declared, aiming to finish the exchange and allow humanitarian aid, but it was not permanent, and mid-March saw Israel resume intensive operations in Gaza as talks on a second stage stalled.

In the most public moments of the campaign, relatives of freed hostages and political allies traveled to meet U.S. leaders and lawmakers, sometimes wearing shirts and bearing messages designed to maximize visibility. Some forum members even traveled to Washington during President Trump’s early months in office as the White House and regional mediators pressed for a lasting resolution. A noticeable moment came when Ran Gvili’s family joined other relatives at Hanukkah ceremonies with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has reminded audiences that the government will continue to seek Ran’s return and burial for the other families affected by the war.

As the Forum winds down its centralized operations, the family networks remain active in the memory of those still waiting for word. The group’s coffers have shifted toward supporting the Gvilis and a small cadre of volunteers who still travel to Hostages Square on Fridays. A symbolic tunnel, a large “Hope” sign and a piano dedicated to Alon Ohel—the musician who was among the released—still stand in the square, and the countdown that tracks the days since 7 October 2023 remains in place. The Gvili family belongs to both the Hostages Families Forum and a smaller Tikva Forum, reflecting a broader spectrum of advocacy within Israeli civil society.

Netanyahu’s public appearances with released hostages and families have underscored the political complexity of the hostage issue. The prime minister has framed the effort as a national obligation, saying, “We will bring Ran back, just as we brought back 254 out of our 255 abductees.” Still, questions linger about why more lives were not saved and what more could have been done to prevent further tragedies, a debate that continues to shape Israeli society.

The Hostages Families Forum’s arc—from a handful of grieving relatives in an underground car park to a globally connected advocacy network—illustrates how civil society movements can influence diplomacy during wartime. While the Gaza war has exacted a heavy toll on civilians on both sides, the forum’s experience offers a case study in mobilizing public opinion, coordinating international diplomacy, and maintaining momentum when the immediate crisis shifts toward negotiations and complex political calculations. As Ran Gvili’s fate remains unresolved and the search for his body continues, the families’ cry to “bring them home now” remains a sobering reminder of the human stakes at the center of the conflict.