As usual, the family of Or Levy, the Israeli hostage held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, gathered in front of the entrance to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Uncles, aunts, cousins and relatives held up his portrait. Only the age of the prisoner, kidnapped while attending the Tribe of Nova festival in the south of the country on October 7, 2023, has been crossed out: 34, instead of 33. "We've been disappointed so many times, it's hard to be optimistic but, today, I think something can happen," confided his brother, Michael Levy, cautiously.

In Tel Aviv, the hostage families and their supporters had once again gathered in the early evening of Saturday, January 4 in the square where, for months now, they have been accustomed to gathering on weekends. This time, however, a breath of hope swept through the crowd of several hundred people gathered in front of a giant counter – 456 days since the massacre perpetrated by the Hamas commandos, along with the capture of hostages on Israeli territory, and the start of the ensuing war in Gaza.

Earlier in the day, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the resumption of indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar for the release of the hostages. A delegation mandated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had left the previous day for Doha. Since the end of November 2023 and the release of around 100 hostages, there has been no truce.

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