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Photo Essay: 50,000 People Gather at Western Wall to Pray for Safe Return of Hostages in Gaza
Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen
In an extraordinary display of unity, some 50,000 Jews from all walks of life gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Wednesday for a mass prayer calling for the safe return of the hostages held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
The Ashkenazi and Sephardic chief rabbis of Israel — David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, respectively — read Psalms together with the families of the hostages seized by Hamas terrorists during their Oct. 7 pogrom in the Jewish state.
The Ashkenazi and Sephardic chief rabbis of Israel, David Lau (far right) and Yitzhak Yosef (second from right). Photo: Yaacov Cohen
“A ruthless enemy, unfazed by anything, is out to destroy and murder all Jews, young and old alike, children and women included. We’ve suffered many losses in this war, and every person’s heart aches for those we’ve lost,” the chief rabbis said. “We must cry out and implore for the mercy of the heavens to keep the whole of Israel.”
The Ashkenazi and Sephardic chief rabbis of Israel, David Lau (far left) and Yitzhak Yosef (second from left). Photo: Yaacov Cohen
Held on the evening before the start of the Hebrew month of Shevat, also known as Minor Yom Kippur, the prayer included numerous shofar blasts, an apparent rallying cry to open the heavens.
Video credit: Jewish Breaking News
Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen
The prayer drew activists holding posters of the hostages, as well as a diverse mix of Jews, including ultra-orthodox, religious Zionists, and secular Jews. One man, Amir, described himself as an atheist. “I may not believe in God but I think that the power of being here, with the people I was fighting just a few months ago, has the power to unleash miracles,” he told The Algemeiner, referencing the sparring sides of the judicial reform debate that tore the country apart in the months preceding the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.
Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen
Hamas kidnapped 240 hostages during its Oct. 7 onslaught and murdered 1,200 people. There are 136 hostages still being held in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed that 25 of those have died while in Hamas captivity. Over 100 captives were released during a temporary ceasefire in late November.
Rabbi David Stav, the chief rabbi of the city of Shoham and the chairman of the Tzohar organization, said: “We are breaking open the gates of heaven to bring home all our hostages and captives who are in the hands of the murderous and heinous terrorist organization that threatens to destroy us.”
Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen
Several prayers and penitential liturgies, including those said during the High Holy Days, were recited for the hostages and for the IDF soldiers fighting in Gaza.
Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen
Later on Wednesday, a prayer and solidarity event was held in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, attended by Israeli performers Idan Raichel and Aaron Razel, as well as several prominent rabbis.
Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen
“It was beautiful and moving and sad,” Levona Shneid, a teenager from Jaffa, told The Algemeiner. “We saw all kinds of people rise above any differences between them and just be together in this moment.”
Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen
Watch video from Wednesday’s mass prayer at the Western Wall:
The post Photo Essay: 50,000 People Gather at Western Wall to Pray for Safe Return of Hostages in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.