The families of the six hostages taken by Hamas and killed 328 days later have penned an open letter published by Time "to people in power" that contains a simple request: "Act." The families of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Carmel Gat share grim details that shed light on the terrible conditions the six managed to survive for nearly a year: Kept behind a bolted door in a 2-foot-wide tunnel "65 feet under a Gazan child's bedroom," they were starved of oxygen, light, and food. "In captivity, Alexander, nearly 6 feet tall, dropped from 190 pounds to 132 pounds. Hersh, a couple inches taller, weighed just 116 pounds. Eden, [5 feet 5 inches], was found at 79 pounds." Yes, Hamas terrorized and killed them. "But many others failed to save them."
"Israeli governmental decision-makers had opportunities to reach negotiated settlements to release our loved ones and, for calculations they deemed strategic, they chose not to," they write. "These choices will be the eternal legacy of these men." But those men aren't alone in their choice not to act. Former presidents, religious leaders, business luminaries, and celebrities have hugged and cried alongside us over the past year, they write, and then assured us our loved ones would emerge alive. And yet publicly, they have been silent. "This is our clarion call now: There are still 101 hostages in horrific conditions in Gaza, and the time to save them is running out. ... Now is the time for decisive, deliberate, meaningful action." (Read the letter in full.)
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