‘600 days that we fight for our lives': Israel marks a milestone of pain and prayer

Yahoo

29-05-2025

Hostage families and Knesset members joined Christian supporters of Israel worldwide to mark 600 days since the October 7, 2023 attacks and pray for the 58 hostages still held captive.
Six hundred days since his son, Itay Chen, was abducted by Hamas forces, Ruby Chen's message to the crowd at the Knesset auditorium was personal, not political. 'I'm standing here as a father,' Chen said. For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org
He explained that his family had chosen not to hold a shiva—the traditional Jewish week of mourning—despite being told by Israeli intelligence that Itay was killed on the day he was abducted from his tank on the Gaza border. 'Not because we don't believe in the Jewish faith—on the contrary. It's because we still have hope that he could come back,' Chen said. Until he and his wife know with absolute certainty that their son is dead, they refuse to give up hope.
Chen made these comments as part of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, an annual interfaith gathering founded in 2017 to foster global prayer and diplomatic solidarity with Israel. Addressing the crowd, he emphasized that the goals of dismantling Hamas and returning all the hostages 'don't always coexist.' 'It is unfortunate that after 600 days, I am still standing here, wishing to see my son back, as well as 57 other hostages,' he said.
The event was marked by the weight of war, grief, and a resolute hope for the return of the hostages—shared by worshipers from dozens of countries. Albert Veksler, director of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, highlighted the importance of holding the gathering inside the Israeli Knesset.
'We are not just praying generically for peace,' he said. 'We are praying for names. For the return of captives. For justice to prevail.' Addressing hostage families and parliamentarians, Veksler described the moment as 'prophetic'—a call for faith-based solidarity to become a voice for the voiceless.
The session was sponsored by MK Matan Kahana, who opened by reflecting on his own experience in the security cabinet before the war. 'We sanctify life. They sanctify death and murder,' he said of Hamas. 'We didn't believe them. And now we understand—they really mean what they are saying.'
MK Moshe Turpaz of the centrist Yesh Atid party, who returned to active military duty on the morning of October 7, 2023, addressed the crowd with solemn urgency: 'Six hundred days since this war began. Six hundred days that our brothers and sisters are still in Gaza. Six hundred days that we fight for our lives.'
Fellow party member MK Tatiana Mazarsky spoke of the deep ache shared by Israeli families as the hostages' captivity drags on. 'No joy can be complete while our brothers remain in captivity … held underground, without food and water, 600 days already,' she said. 'Every single day counts. Every hour could save a life.'
MK Simon Davidson, also of Yesh Atid, expressed deep appreciation for the global supporters present. 'We need your support. We need your prayers. And we need you speaking on behalf of Israel, on behalf of our soldiers, on behalf of the right—and not the evil—in the world,' he said.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, acting in his capacity as head of Israel's legislature, formally welcomed the international delegation and emphasized the moral clarity of their stance. 'When the nations of the world stand with Jerusalem, they are standing with truth, with justice, and with the values that sustain free societies,' he said.
Also present were MK Ohad Tal of the Religious Zionism party and MK Amit Halevi of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, both of whom used their remarks to underscore the historic nature of the Jewish return to sovereignty. Tal referred to the 'miracle of Jewish revival' while Halevi called Jerusalem 'the eternal capital of a people who never left it in their prayers or their tears.'
One of the final speakers was Eduard Heger, former prime minister of Slovakia, who used the platform to deliver a public act of repentance.
'Please forgive us,' he said. 'In 1941, Slovakia issued a Jewish Codex that stripped our Jewish citizens of their rights. Eighty years later, as Prime Minister, I led an official apology.'
Turning to the room of lawmakers and believers from dozens of nations, he called on his fellow attendees to interrogate their own countries' histories. 'If there is a sin against Israel, follow the path of reconciliation,' he urged.
Among the many Christians attending was Dale Ditto, a financial adviser and attorney from Kentucky, who has participated in the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast since its founding in 2017.
He told The Media Line that people often ask whether he is afraid to travel to Israel. 'But when I come to Jerusalem, I feel peace,' he said.
'We worship the same God,' Ditto said of Jews and Christians. 'We want his will to be done on earth. I think my being here will have an effect around the world.'
Former MK Rabbi Yehudah Glick described the gathering as 'very significant.' 'To know that we have so much friendship and so many supporters of Israel is something that gives us strength,' he told The Media Line.
Glick, who chairs the Shalom Jerusalem Foundation and also leads the Amitsim organization for young widows and orphans, called the global Christian movement toward Israel 'the second greatest miracle of our era' after the establishment of the state of Israel.
'These people are not just coming here. They're going back home and becoming ambassadors—political ambassadors, spiritual ambassadors, educational ambassadors,' he said.
He added that God should be praised daily for the friendship between Christians and Jews. 'It's a miracle that must not be taken for granted,' he said.