The body of the last hostage, Ran Gvili, has finally been returned to Israel. Jews around the world had been waiting for this moment for more than two years. On the holiday of Simchat Torah, which in 2023 fell on Shabbat, October 7, nearly 1,200 people were murdered at the Nova music festival and in nearby kibbutzim in southern Israel, and more than 250 people were violently abducted and taken to Gaza. It was the largest pogrom committed against Jews since the end of World War II.
In many places, including the Czech Republic, an unprecedented wave of support arose, and demonstrations, marches, and in Israel also strikes began to be organized. The names of the abducted were publicly read out, posters with their photographs were displayed, and various stickers were put up. All of this was done to ensure that the hostages would be released from their involuntary captivity as soon as possible and could finally return to their families. The slogan “bring them home,” or the Hebrew phrases “achshav ha-bayta” (home now) and “am Yisrael chai” (the people of Israel live), appeared on lampposts, outdoor walls, and shop windows, as well as inside synagogues and other Jewish institutions.
Czech Jews also joined this worldwide movement; there was hardly a day when they did not remember the abducted women, men, and children. Every Jewish community in the country regularly included them in their heartfelt prayers.
The most visible symbol of the demand for the immediate release of the hostages became the yellow ribbon, which, however, has a complex history. It first appeared in the 19th century during the American Civil War, when women braided it into their hair to show support for their husbands at war. The yellow ribbon became a widely recognized symbol associated with returning from war, prison, and captivity only in the 1970s, mainly thanks to the popular song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.” In Israel, the ribbon entered broader public awareness in 2011 during prolonged negotiations with the Palestinians over the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
After October 7, 2023, the yellow ribbon became a universal symbol calling for the return of all hostages from Gaza. It was tied to trees, fences, cars—simply everywhere it could be clearly seen. It soon also appeared in the form of a small badge that people pinned to their outer clothing as a sign of support for the abducted, not only in Israel but all over the world.
After more than two years, on October 13, 2025, the terrorist organization Hamas released the remaining 20 living hostages as part of an agreed ceasefire. On January 26, 2026, the body of the last abducted person was returned to Israel.
Eva Janáčová
Documentary photographs in support of the abducted hostages were taken in Prague, Karlovy Vary, and Olomouc by photographer Jindřich Buxbaum. You can find the photographs here.
