To the international community:

We are women leaders, activists, and experts. We are feminists. We are mothers, grandmothers and sisters. We have dedicated our professional and personal lives to advocate for human rights. We call for the immediate release of all of the men held hostage by Hamas. We call for the release of all of the hostages. Their continued captivity is a standing violation of international humanitarian law and demands an international response. 

100 days ago, on October 7th, 2023, the unfathomable occurred when Hamas attacked Israel and murdered 1,200 people — taking hundreds as hostages. We are grateful so many hostages have been released — primarily women and children. But 100 days later, more than 130 hostages, mostly men, remain in captivity.

Left behind are fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, cousins, uncles, friends. Left behind are elderly men and young men in need of medical assistance. As women who came together to demand the release of women and girls, we must not lose empathy for the men who were taken hostage by Hamas. We must not leave any of the hostages in captivity.

As Jews, we believe in b’tzelem Elohim, that all human life is made in the image of the divine. The fight does not stop until every last hostage is released from Hamas captivity. We will not give up on the men left behind.

We urge all governments, international organizations, and civil society groups to take action to help secure the release of hostages. We urge the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and others, to do everything within their power to get much-needed aid to hostages.

International humanitarian law requires that Hamas immediately provide all necessary means to identify those being held hostage, to allow for medical treatment, not to engage in their torture and ill-treatment, and to respect the dignity of remains by not desecrating bodies and returning them for burial. We demand that these norms be respected, and stress that all parties to armed conflict must comply with international law.

By signing this letter, we raise our voices for all the hostages being held by Hamas. We raise our voices for the men. We will not forget them. We will do everything in our power to bring them home. NOW.