'I pray for your people,' says Pope Francis to families of hostages who visit Vatican
The delegation was led by the Hostage Family Forum, the Foreign Ministry, Israeli embassies in Rome and the Vatican, the government's hostage unit, and the Defense Ministry.
A delegation of released hostages and family members of hostages departed on Wednesday for the Vatican to meet with the Pope and additional decision-makers in Italy.
The goals of the delegation include increasing awareness internationally of the hostage situation and causing the Pope and Italian leadership to pressure Hamas to release the hostages.
Who was part of the delegation?
Yelena Trufanova, who was released from Hamas captivity in November and whose son is still held captive, joined the delegation. Footage of Trufanova’s son Alexander “Sasha” Troufanov was released Wednesday by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
This is the third such video of Troufanov. The videos cannot be corroborated by a third party and are considered by Israel to be a form of psychological warfare.
In the video, Troufanov said that he and the other hostages were running out of food and basic hygiene products. He called on the Israeli public to continue to push for a deal to bring the hostages home.
Yocheved Lipshitz, also freed in the November 2023 deal and whose husband Oded is still held hostage, also took part in the delegation.
Adi Shoham and her young children Naveh and Yahel, all freed from Hamas captivity in November and whose husband and father Tal is still held captive, also joined the delegation.
Mor Korngold, Tal Shoham’s brother, has been active in the fight to bring Tal home. “I try to remind people that when discussing a deal, they are talking about human life,” said Korngold in June.
“I ask them to remember Naveh and Yahel,” he added.
Louis Har, one of the few hostages released in an IDF rescue operation, who was freed after over 120 days in captivity, will also join the delegation.
The delegation was led by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the Foreign Ministry, Israeli embassies in Rome and the Vatican, the government’s hostage unit, and the Defense Ministry.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
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