Hostages in Gaza endure another winter as their families plead for a ceasefire

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — When Luis Har was kidnapped by Hamas-led militants on the warm morning of Oct. 7, 2023, he was forced into Gaza wearing shorts and a T-shirt. As his captivity stretched into weeks and then months, the cold, wet winter set in, bringing along with it a dread he had never endured before.

“I felt a penetrating cold in my bones,” said Har, 71, who was rescued in mid-February in an Israeli military raid. With no heating in the apartment where he was held, the cold from the floor permeated his thin mattress at night. Fighting outside shattered the apartment windows, sending in rain and wind.

While Har is spending this winter warm and free, dozens of hostages still in captivity are not. Their families and supporters are desperate for a ceasefire deal to bring an end to their 15-month-long nightmare.

“Winter makes it much harder, much more complicated,” said Har. “They must return as quickly as possible.”

The hostages often experience the same dire circumstances as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, whether it be food scarcity, the dangers from Israeli bombardments or the winter. The war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’ attack, has displaced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population, many of whom are weathering a second winter in tents that are barely holding up against the wind, rain and temperatures that can drop below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) at night.

Israel and Hamas are considering a deal that would free some hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and a halt to the fighting in Gaza. But despite reports of progress, the families of hostages have been shattered by previous rounds of promising talks that have suddenly collapsed. They fear the same could happen now.

“It is a dagger in our hearts,” said Ofri Bibas Levy, about the rollercoaster of hope and despair the families have lived throughout the war. Bibas Levy’s brother, Yarden Bibas, along with his wife Shiri and sons Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 1, are being held in Gaza. “Either it happens now or it doesn’t happen at all,” she told Israeli Army Radio.

During its attack on southern Israel, Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250, more than 100 of whom were freed in a brief ceasefire in the early weeks of the war. Since then, Israel has killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between fighters and noncombatants in its count.

Of the roughly 100 hostages who remain in Gaza, one third are said to be dead, some killed during Hamas’ initial attack and others killed or having died in captivity. Israel has rescued eight hostages and has recovered the bodies of dozens.

The hostages range in age from 1 to 86, and are believed to be scattered throughout the Gaza Strip. They have been held in apartments or in Hamas’ web of underground tunnels, which are cramped, damp and stifling, according to testimony from freed hostages.

Many families have no idea what conditions their loved ones face, uncertainty that heightens their concern.

“You see a rainy day, or a cold day or whatever is going on outside, a storm, and it kills you,” said Michael Levy, whose brother Or, 34, was captured from an outdoor music festival after his wife was killed by militants, leaving their now 3-year-old son, Almog, without his parents.

Yehonatan Sabban, a spokesperson for the Hostages Families Forum, said the hostages are undernourished, with low fat reserves and weakened immune systems, making them more vulnerable to complications from illness in winter.

“Everyone is in a life-threatening situation that demands their immediate release,” Sabban said.

Har said the conditions of his captivity worsened during winter. For weeks, he had been held with four members of his family who had also been kidnapped — along with a Shih Tzu smuggled in by one of them. Three of them and the dog were freed in the first and only ceasefire agreement in late November. That left Har and his relative Fernando Marman alone with their captors in a second-floor apartment in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Har pled with his captors, who wore heavy coats, to bring them warmer clothes. They did — although they were ridden with holes. Every 10 days or so, they washed themselves with water from a bucket. A shattered window was sealed with a tarp.

In the first few weeks of captivity, there was food. Ingredients were delivered and Har took on the role of chef. When there were tomatoes, he made tomato soup with some rice. With canned peas, he made pea soup. But as the war dragged on and the temperature dropped, food became scarce. They were delighted when a captor brought one egg for them to share. For weeks, he and Marman split a single pita a day.

When he was rescued in a nighttime operation in mid-February, he ran shoeless out of the apartment and into a nearby greenhouse. Soldiers gave him a pair of shoes and a coat and spirited him home. The raid killed about 70 Palestinians, according to local authorities.

The families of the remaining hostages are pinning their hopes on the latest round of ceasefire talks.

“All I have is to pray that he’s somehow OK,” Levy said of his brother’s fate, “and know that the human spirit is stronger than anything.”

FILE - Residents of Kibbutz Kfar Azza wear blindfolds during a demonstration in solidarity with friends and relatives being held hostage in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Nov. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

FILE - Israeli soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

FILE - Luis Har, left, hugs his relatives after being rescued from captivity in the Gaza Strip, in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Feb. 12, 2024. (Israeli Army via AP)

FILE - Fernando Simon Marman, right, hugs a relative after being rescued from captivity in the Gaza Strip, in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Feb. 12, 2024. (Israeli Army via AP, File)

FILE - Palestinians inspect damaged residential buildings where two Israeli hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)

FILE - People react as they hear news of the release of 13 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Nov. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

FILE - Ofri Bibas Levy talks to the media in Geneva, Switzerland, on Nov. 14, 2023, about her brother, Yarden Bibas, who is being held hostage in Gaza with his wife and two kids. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP, File)

FILE - Israelis seeking the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip demonstrate outside the prime minister's office in Jerusalem on Jan. 5, 2025 (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

Luis Har, who was rescued from Hamas captivity in an Israeli raid last year, talks with visitors to the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Luis Har, who was rescued from Hamas captivity in an Israeli raid last year, poses for a photo surrounded by empty chairs with photographs of other hostages' eyes, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian authorities gathered in capital Brasilia on Wednesday to mark the second anniversary of an alleged coup attempt by supporters of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was joined by members of his Cabinet, military leaders, four allied governors and four Supreme Court justices — including Alexandre de Moraes, who presides over investigations into the coup attempt — for a ceremony at the presidential palace.

The building was one of those trashed by Bolsonaro supporters in 2023 in a bid to trigger a military intervention that would oust the leftist leader from office.

“Today is the day to say loud and clear: We're still here,” Lula said at the ceremony, in an apparent reference to the recent blockbuster film — titled “I’m Still Here” —that addresses the trauma of Brazil’s two-decade dictatorship. “We're here to say that we are alive and that democracy is alive, contrary to what the January 8, 2023 coup plotters had planned.”

On Jan. 8, 2023, thousands of pro-Bolsonaro rioters bypassed security barricades around the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court, and climbed onto roofs, smashed windows, urinated on precious art and damaged historic Brazilian memorabilia. They invaded government buildings and called for a military intervention to remove Lula from office.

Artworks that were destroyed have been restored, in partnership with Swiss authorities, and are being reintroduced to the public, Brazil’s presidency said. Lula had invited the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, and the lower house speaker, Arthur Lira, but neither participated in the ceremony.

Brazil’s Supreme Court is scheduled to host discussions with staffers who witnessed the court's invasion and others who took part in reconstruction efforts. A remembrance website is being set up and an exhibition of art produced using wreckage from the melee will be opened.

The anniversary is taking place amid several legal cases targeting Bolsonaro, who narrowly lost his 2022 reelection bid to Lula, then questioned the legitimacy of the results and declined to concede.

Federal Police have formally accused Bolsonaro and 36 others, including high-ranking military officers, of attempting a coup. The accusation is sealed, but the authorities had been investigating whether he incited the Jan. 8 uprising.

The former leader is an outspoken admirer of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, and the riot in Brasilia offered an echo of the Capitol insurrection in Washington in January 2021.

Legal experts believe Bolsonaro could be charged and stand trial in the second of half of 2025 at the Supreme Court for allegedly falsifying his COVID-19 vaccination status. Analysts also say there’s a reasonable chance he stands trial before 2026 over allegedly embezzling jewels gifted by Saudi Arabian authorities.

Brazil’s electoral court has already barred Bolsonaro from running for office until 2030, after a panel ruled that he abused his power and cast unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system.

His supporters have focused most of their anger at the Supreme Court, particularly Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is presiding over several investigations targeting them. He publicly warned Brazilians last year that any celebration of Jan. 8 would constitute a crime.

According to a Supreme Court report released Tuesday, 898 people have so far been held criminally responsible for the Jan. 8 uprising, with 371 convicted and the remainder signing leniency agreements. The report notes 485 additional investigations are ongoing.

“No one has been or will be unjustly imprisoned. All will pay for the crimes they committed,” Lula said in his Wednesday speech, adding that the defendants will have their rights to defense and the presumption of innocence guaranteed.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his wife Rosangela da Silva attend a pro-democracy event marking two years since the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for military intervention, in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A protester holds up a sign that says in Portuguese "No Amnesty for Coup Leaders" during a pro-democracy event on the second anniversary of the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for military intervention in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Nova)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva looks at the Historic Clock received as a gift from the Swiss State that was restored after being destroyed during an attack on the presidential palace, during a ceremony marking two years since the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for military intervention, in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Social movement activists gather at Praça dos Tres Poderes for a pro-democracy event on the second anniversary of the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for military intervention in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Social movement activists gather at Praça dos Tres Poderes for a pro-democracy event on the second anniversary of the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for military intervention in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Social movement activists make the "L" for Lula during a pro-democracy event on the second anniversary of the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for military intervention in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Nova)

Social movement activists shout pro-democracy slogans at an event marking the second anniversary of the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for military intervention in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Nova)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a ceremony marking two years since the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for a military intervention in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, with a hat, and his wife Rosangela da Silva, descend the ramp of the presidential palace during a ceremony marking two years since the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for military intervention in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, center holding hat, and his wife Rosangela da Silva attend a ceremony marking two years since the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for a military intervention in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

FILE - Police gather on the other side of a window that was shattered by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro who stormed the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)