A mother’s plea: Bring my sons home from Gaza

Earlier this week, as families across America were still celebrating Mother’s Day weekend, I witnessed a miracle. Edan Alexander was finally reunited with his mother and father after 584 days in Gaza. Watching them embrace, seeing the tears of joy, the overwhelming relief in their eyes – it filled me with happiness for them and hope for all of us waiting. But it also made my heart ache even more deeply. When will I get to hold my two sons again?

For 18 months, I have been fighting for their lives. Every morning, noon, evening and night, I am not just Sylvia – I am a warrior. A mother who came to Israel from Argentina with my husband Louis in 1986, carrying dreams of building a life in this land. We could never have imagined that decades later, I would be pleading for the world to help bring our sons home from captivity.

I want to tell you about my sons – not as hostages, but as the vibrant, loving men they are. David, who turns 35 on May 21 – his second birthday in captivity – is a devoted father. He’s an electrical engineer with a childlike spirit. He and his wife Sharon have beautiful twin daughters, Yuli and Emma, who are just 4 years old. My younger son Ariel, 27, is what we call “a mama’s boy” – my baby, the youngest of our four sons. He’s a software tester with a passion for music and astronomy. Just before his kidnapping, he had returned from exploring South America with his girlfriend Arbel Yehoud. 

AMERICAN HOSTAGE EDAN ALEXANDER RELEASED BY HAMAS AFTER MORE THAN 580 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY

Every night, I have the same dream. I see my sons in a hospital bed. I run to them, embracing them, breathing in their scent, kissing them for all they’ve endured. Once, I dreamed of hugging David so vividly that I woke up expecting to find him beside me. The crushing reality that followed is one I live with daily.

On Oct. 6, 2023, our entire family gathered in our home in Kibbutz Nir Oz – 20 of us celebrating the holiday together. By the next morning, eight family members had been kidnapped by Hamas terrorists: David, Sharon, their twin daughters, Ariel, his girlfriend Arbel, Sharon’s sister Daniela, and her 5-year-old daughter.

I will never forget the text messages. Ariel wrote “We’re in a horror movie.” David sent “They’re breaking into our house.” David and Ariel were taken, along with the others.

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In November 2023, the first hostage deal brought David’s wife and daughters. But my sons remained behind. For two agonizing months, Ariel was listed as missing before we learned he, too, was in Gaza. The uncertainty was unbearable.

Then, after 482 days, Arbel was finally freed in February’s hostage exchange. When I met her, I desperately hoped to hear about Ariel. Instead, she told me that the kidnappers held them together for only three hours before transferring him to another vehicle. She never saw him again. From that moment on, she was alone. This knowledge both comforts and terrifies me – he was alive then, but where is he now?

David’s daughters just turned 4 without their father and uncle. Every night they cry, asking when the “bad people” will bring daddy home. How do you explain this horror to a child? I am torn in half – caring for those who returned while fighting for those who remain.

I am deeply grateful to President Donald Trump, his administration, his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and all those who worked tirelessly to secure Arbel’s release in the most recent hostage exchange. Your determination and diplomatic efforts brought her home to us, and now Edan Alexander to his family. For this, we are eternally thankful. The hopes of every family with loved ones still in Gaza now rest with you. We pray that Monday’s release marks the beginning of a larger effort to bring all our hostages home. I implore you to continue your crucial work with the same urgency and resolve that brought them home.

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Seeing Edan with his family Monday reminded me that miracles are possible. But I am one mother among many still waiting. Besides my sons, there are 56 other hostages in Gaza. Each has a family desperate for reunion. Those still alive deserve to embrace their loved ones again. Those who were killed deserve to be buried with dignity.

The return of hostages is not political or military – it’s a moral imperative. There will be time to fight Hamas, more campaigns ahead. But the lives of Ariel, David and all the hostages cannot wait. Every day diminishes their chances of survival.

I refuse to lose hope. There is light at the end of this tunnel, and we will wait for them there. But time is running out. Edan’s mother gets to hold her son today. When will I get to hold mine?

As a mother who came to Israel to build a future for her children, I will never stop fighting for them. I will be their voice until they can speak for themselves again.

My plea is simple: Help bring my sons and all 58 hostages home. Make our families whole again.