The families of some of the remaining eight deceased hostages held in Gaza on Monday night demanded to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a sit-down with the government’s point man on the captives, Gal Hirsch, to ensure the premier was committed to returning the remaining bodies held by Hamas.

In a press conference in Bnei Brak following the meeting, Noam Katz, the daughter of deceased hostage Lior Rudaeff, relayed that Hirsch had told the families that “it is possible to bring everyone back.”

“The State of Israel should make every effort [and] use all possible means against Hamas to return everyone home,” she said.

Ayelet Goldin, the sister of 2nd Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was killed in action in Gaza in 2014, and whose body was taken captive by Hamas, said the families told Hirsch they were “demanding that the prime minister look us in the eye, [and] meet us, the families. After three weeks [of ceasefire] we are begging for a meeting.”

“Hamas knows where our loved ones are. We should pressure Hamas; we are counting on the prime minister. We want to see the Israeli prime minister standing up and declaring: I am returning the last of the hostages, I am using every means at my disposal, and I am returning them all,” she said.

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The eight deceased hostages whose bodies were still held in Gaza as of November 3, 2025: (Top row from left) Hadar Goldin, Meny Godard, Ran Gvili, Dror Or; (Bottom row) Sudthisak Rinthalak, Lior Rudaeff, Joshua Mollel, Itay Chen. (Collage by Times of Israel; Photos: Courtesy)

Bar Godard, the daughter of Meny Godard, said the families “want answers, and won’t stop demanding them until our loved ones return.”

The meeting was held after three deceased hostages — Col. Asaf Hamami, Cpt. Omer Neutra, and Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel — were returned on Sunday evening, with Israeli authorities confirming their identities the following morning.

Israel has accused Hamas of dragging its feet on the requirement that it return all of the captives, as agreed in the ceasefire that came into place on October 10. The agreement required the terror group to return all 20 living hostages within 72 hours, and all 28 deceased hostages it could locate within that time frame as well — with Israel assessing that Hamas did not know the location of only a small number of bodies.

While the group followed through in handing over the living hostages, it only returned four of the 28 bodies still held in Gaza on the day the deadline expired. It has since slowly returned another 16 bodies.

‘If this deal breaks, we’ll be like Hadar Goldin’

Elad Or, the brother of Dror Or — who was murdered in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 and his body taken to Gaza — said he was fearful but still hopeful that his brother’s remains will be returned to Israel soon.

Speaking to The Times of Israel following the meeting with Hirsch, the government’s point man on the hostages, Or said that “these are very complex days.”


Elad Or, brother of deceased hostage Dror Or, speaks to the media after a meeting with Gal Hirsch, the government’s point man on hostages, in Bnei Brak, November 3, 2025. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Dror’s wife, Yonat Or, was also murdered on October 7, and their two children, Noam and Alma, and a nephew, Liam, were all taken hostage and released in November 2023.

Or said his family was told by the IDF that recovering his brother’s body in Gaza would require more complex digging and maneuvering.

The fear that his brother’s body will be the last of the hostage bodies to be brought back feels impossible, Or said.

“Some members of the government call for a return to the war, and all the hairs on my body stand up when I hear that,” he said. “So our call is not to go back to fight in Gaza, but to fulfill the ceasefire. We’re fearful about the ceasefire not being fulfilled, but we also see that things are progressing.”

“If this deal breaks, then we’ll be like Hadar Goldin,” Or added.

Or said that the return of every one of the living hostages was worth the struggle until now.

“Each one of them is a miracle, like the return of my nephews and niece from captivity,” Or said.


In this undated photo, the three Or cousins (L-R): Noam, Liam and Alma Or. (Courtesy Or family)

He said that Noam and Alma are experiencing a mix of tremendous sadness and pain, while still seeking to try and live their lives normally.

“For them, the ability to bury their father next to their mother in Be’eri, where they grew up, is very meaningful,” Or said. “It will be another symbol that at least that part of the story is closed.”

Parents of Omer Neutra express relief after son’s body returned

Ronen and Orna Neutra, Omer Neutra’s parents, expressed relief on Monday after their son’s body was returned to Israel, but said the struggle is still not over.

“For 758 days, we lived between hope and heartbreak,” Orna said, speaking in English. “Today, that long nightmare ends with the knowledge that Omer is finally home. We can begin the process of bringing Omer to his final resting place in the land he loved and fought to protect.”

They noted the relief they felt alongside the pain of their loss. The Neutras remember their son — who was killed while battling Hamas on October 7 and his body taken captive — as a leader, a good person who saw the best in people: “He loved life and lived it to the fullest,” Orna said.


Ronen and Orna Neutra speak to the media about their son, Omer Neutra, on November 3, 2025, a day after his body was returned to Israel from Gaza. (Lior Rotstein/Hostages Forum)

The Neutras said that their son believed in purpose and saw himself, the son of Israelis, born in the US, who came to Israel as a lone soldier to enlist in the IDF, as a bridge between Israel and the Jewish world.

“He understood that our people are one — in Israel and in the Diaspora — and that Israel’s strength depends on that connection,” Ronen said.

The couple thanked US President Donald Trump, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and their teams for bringing back 20 hostages alive and 20 bodies so far for burial. They also thanked the IDF soldiers, intelligence units, and “all those who never stopped searching.”

“Almost two years of unity gatherings in the square, of faith, of hope, of calling on the people of Israel to stand together,” they said. “You turned immense pain into meaning, and created a place of true togetherness.”

The Neutras noted that their son’s return home marks the end of their family’s long war, but that they would continue to fight until every hostage is home, when “every family can find the comfort we are only just beginning to feel.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the life of Neutra “is a testament to the resolve of the Jewish people.”

“We will never forget his story, nor the ultimate sacrifice he paid for peace,” Rubio tweeted of Neutra.

Trump spoke to Neutra’s parents shortly after their son’s body was identified by Israeli authorities last night. “They’re thrilled in one sense, but in another sense, obviously, it’s not too great,” he told reporters. “We’re very happy to have done it.”