An Israeli mother has made a desperate plea to President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow her to be taken hostage by Hamas in exchange for the release of her two young daughters.
Maayan Zin uploaded an emotional video appeal on X, begging for the safe return of her daughters, Dafna Elyakim, 15, and Ella Elyakim, 8, who were kidnapped by Hamas from their father's house in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.
In the video, Zin tearfully implores, "Put me in Gaza. I will be hostage 243. If only I could hold them and tell them everything would be alright. Hug them and tell them that mom is here no matter what mom is here." The heart-wrenching plea has garnered over one million views in just a few hours.
The horrifying incident unfolded when Zin's ex-husband, Noam Elyakim, was brutally murdered in front of their daughters. The attack was livestreamed on Facebook Live, capturing the moment Dafna cried beside her wounded father. Noam, his girlfriend Dikla Arava, and Arava's son, Tomer, were later found dead near the Gaza border.
Zin later saw a second video of her daughters, dressed in unfamiliar pajamas, sitting on a mattress in Gaza. She expressed her anguish, saying, "My girls, Dafna and Ella, fifteen and eight years old, are being held captive by Hamas in Gaza. Two girls alone after they had to see their father brutally murdered."
It has been a month since the abduction, and Zin is desperate for her daughters' safe return. In an interview with CNN, she revealed that she initially thought the video of her daughters in Gaza was a manipulated image. "I didn't think such a thing could be possible," she said. Zin emphasized that being a mother is her sole purpose in life, stating, "They are all I wanted all my life. This is my existence to be a mother."
The attack by Hamas terrorists on the Gaza border fence has left hundreds of families in Israel and beyond living in a nightmare. Kibbutz Nir Oz, where Dafna and Ella were visiting their father, was one of the hardest-hit communities, losing a quarter of its population in just a few hours. The Siman Tov family, including grandmother Carol, her son Johnny, his wife Tamar, and their three young children, were among the casualties. They were buried together in a single pit, highlighting the devastating toll of the violence.
While four hostages have been released, including American mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan, and elderly neighbors Nurit Yitzhak and Yochved Lifshitz, Zin's daughters remain captive. The Israeli government, along with international leaders, must urgently address this humanitarian crisis and work towards the safe return of all hostages held by Hamas.
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